


Pairanormal

by FoxfireRose



Series: Pairanormal [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxfireRose/pseuds/FoxfireRose
Summary: A fanfiction beginning at season one, episode six of Supernatural with two original characters added in. Co-written by a couple of roomies. || Robyn and Grace have been friends for years, so it's only natural that they chose the same college. Wanting to be an FBI agent, Grace is attending classes for Criminal Justice and Psychology, while Robyn attends for Computer Sciences, Engineering, and Religious Studies. When a girl is suddenly found dead in a fire in one of the dorms, rumors begin going around that her boyfriend, Sam Winchester, actually killed her before taking off on a road trip with his brother. Over Winter Break, the two women meet Sam and Dean for the first time, and things are a little different outside of the classroom. || This is a bit of a rocky beginning, so bear with me. Thank you <3





	1. "Skin"

 

 

The sound of the cellular device’s notification tone drew green eyes to the small screen of the PalmOne device that Sam Winchester had held onto for several miles.  Adept fingers pulled the stylus from its holder and he tapped away at the little screen.  Dean’s choice of rock music blared from the Impala’s radio and drowned out the rumbling of the vehicle that slowed down.  Sam looked through the notifications.  He tapped twice more to pull up an email, Sam read it over as the music stopped and the Impala’s engine turned off.  Dean pulled the keys from the ignition.

“Alright, I figured we’d hit Tucumcari by lunch.  Then, head south and hit Bisbee by midnight,” Dean informed his brother.  He waited for a response, but received none in return,  Dean glanced over to his brother and continued cheekily, “And Sam wears women’s underwear.”  “I’ve been listening,” Sam mumbled, “Just busy.”  “Busy doin’ what?”  Dean asked as he pushed the driver’s door open with a creak.  Sam’s reply about reading emails was lost over Dean’s door being slammed.  “Emails from who?”  Dean asked, wrinkling his brows a little as he circled the car toward the pump and eyed the $2.65 per gallon price with a scowl.  “From my friends,” Sam replied, finally looking up through the partially opened window and found his brother, “At Stanford.”

“You’re kidding.  You still keep in touch with your college buddies?”  Dean lifted the nozzle, selected the lowest grade of fuel, and inserted the nozzle into the tank at the back of the vehicle.  “Why not?”  Sam asked.  Dean shrugged, “Well, what exactly do you tell’em?  Y’know.  About where you’ve been?  What you’ve been doing?”  Dean flipped the switch on the handle of the nozzle to let the gas fill up the tank on its own.  He then walked over to Sam’s side of the car and leaned against the passenger door.  His green eyes looked to Sammy quizzically.  “I tell’em I’m on a road trip with my big brother.  I tell’em that I needed some time off after Jess,” Sam replied as he turned his head to look at Dean.  “Oh.  So, you lie to’em,” Dean responded.  “No.  I just don’t tell’em…  Everything,” Sam said defensively.  Dean chuckled, “Yeah…  That’s called ‘lying.’  I mean.  Hey, man.  I get it.  Tellin’ the truth is far worse.”  Dean gave a little proud smile to himself, one that Sam couldn’t see as he turned to check the gas price so far.  “So, what am I supposed to do?  Just cut everybody out of my life?”  Sam asked incredulously.  Dean shrugged and turned to look at Sam again.  Sam’s eyes widened, “You’re serious!?!”

“Look.  It sucks.  But, in a job like this, you can’t get close to people.  Period.”  Dean said matter-of-factly.  Sam gave a little huff and turned his attention back to his emails, “You’re kind of antisocial.  You know that?”  Dean pursed his lips to stay his remark as he leaned away from the car long enough to switch one foot over the other, “Yeah…  Whatever.”

A silence stretched on for a few moments before Sam spoke again, more mumbling to himself, “...  God…”  “What?”  Dean asked as he leaned closer to the window to peer at his brother’s email.  Seeing the title of the email, he read, “Bad News,” and proceeded to read along as Sam gave his summary of the content.  “In this email, from this girl, Rebecca Warren - one of those friends of mine-”  “Is she hot?”  Dean interrupted.  Ignoring him, Sam continued, “I went to school with her and her brother, Zack.  She says Zack’s been charged with murder…?  He’s been arrested for killing his girlfriend.  Rebecca says he didn’t do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case.”  Sam tapped the screen again with the stylus.  Dean glanced to Sam warily, “Dude, what kind of people are you hangin’ out with?”  Taken aback, Sam blinked, “No, man.  I know Zack.  He’s no killer.”  Tilting his head to one side to glance at his brother, Dean responded, “Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you.”  Sam glanced up to meet his brother’s gaze.  “They’re in Saint Louis…  We’re goin’.”

Dean chuckled as if he’d heard a really funny joke, then quickly turned a serious expression when he met Sam’s gaze, “Look.  Sorry ‘bout your buddy, okay?  But this does not sound like our kind of problem.”  “It _is_ our problem.  They’re my friends -”  “Saint Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam!”  Dean protested, not moving from his spot.  It wasn’t until Sam made a face at him that expressed all sorts of emotions that Dean caved in.  He replaced the nozzle back to the pump and paid for the gas, Dean then got into the car sulkily.  Turned around back the way they had just came, the engine of the Impala again roared down the road toward its new destination.

 

Sam tucked away the PalmPilot as he looked at the opulent Warren residence he’d found directions for.  As the car was put in park, he got out, the door creaked in protest, and he made his way up the steps to the front door.  Dean followed behind him, mumbling under his breath.  Ignoring his brother, Sam pounded on the front door to the house.  The large, wooden door opened up to reveal three ladies, each in their early twenties.  The one in front was the only one recognizable to Sam Winchester.  “Oh, my God!  SAM!”  The blonde-haired woman chimed with a welcoming smile.  “Well, if it isn’t ‘Little Becky’,” Sam teased.  “You know what you can do with that ‘Little Becky’ crap,” Rebecca pouted playfully.  Despite her response, she enveloped her friend in a warm hug, unaware of the glances the two women behind her exchanged.

“I got your email,” Sam said.  “I didn’t think you would come here,” Rebecca replied as she stepped out of the embrace.  The red-haired, freckle-faced woman to Rebecca’s left eyed the shorter brother, who looked her up and down as well, but in a more flirtatious manner.  Her friend, standing to her right, and also behind Becky, eyed him as well with a wary gaze.  The man being scrutinized stepped forward with a polite smile and extended a hand, “Dean.  Older brother.”  Rebecca took his hand with a smile before she glanced over her shoulders from one friend to the other.  “These are my friends,” she explained.  Her hand gestured first to one woman then the other.  “The redhead is Grace and the neon hair is Robyn.”  Robyn smiled softly as she flipped her long, neon fire-highlighted hair over her shoulder.  Both Grace and Robyn nodded politely to the brothers, but their eyes still inspected them carefully.  “Hi,” Dean replied with a flirtatious smile and a glance between the three ladies.  “We’re here to help,” Sam said, “Whatever we can do.”  

Rebecca stepped aside to make room for the brothers to enter, “Come in.”  She then lead the boys from the foyer towards the kitchen with Grace following close behind.  Robyn closed the door behind them and followed suit.  By the time Grace and Robyn had joined the others in the kitchen, Sam had turned down the offer for a beer.  Looking to Rebecca, Sam inquired, “Tell us what happened.”  Grace moved closer to Rebecca, knowing that once she started telling the tale, her friend would need solace.  

“Well, um…  Zack came home…  And he found Emily tied to a chair.  And she was beaten up and bloody…  And she wasn’t breathing.”  As she paused to swallow, Grace consoled her distressed friend.  Taking up the conversation, Grace continued, “So, he called ‘911.’  The police showed up.  They arrested him on the spot with no questions asked.  But, the only way Zack could have killed Emily is if he was in two places at once.  However, the police have video footage from the camera across the street from Zack’s place.  It shows Zack coming home around ten at night. Emily was killed after that, sometime around ten-thirty, I think.” She paused as if to contemplate the wording of her next sentence. “But…  He was here with us. Having beers and telling stupid jokes until at least after midnight,” she finished with a scowl.  She considered saying more, but went quiet instead.  Her eyes noted the looks on Sam and Dean’s faces.

“You know.  Maybe we could see the crime scene?  Zack’s house,” Sam mentioned with a look to his brother, gaining a raised eyebrow from Grace and a stunned blink from Robyn.  “We could,” Dean chimed in somewhat hesitantly.  “Why?  I mean...  What could you do?”  Rebecca asked.  “Well, me,” Sam replied, “Not much.  But, Dean’s a cop.”  Dean chuckled, but Grace turned to look at Robyn.  Both quirked brows at each other before Robyn’s brown eyes glanced away from Grace’s for a moment.  Turning back, Robyn nodded to Grace subtly.  “Detective, actually,” Dean continued as Grace turned to eye him again.  She noted the quick glances between Dean and Sam.  “Really!?!”  Rebecca asked delightedly, earning a quick nod from the unkempt, cheeky man with slight stubble forming.  Grace looked Dean up and down again before asking suspiciously, “Where at?”  “Bisbee, Arizona,” Dean responded quickly, sweeping a glance around the room.  “But, I’m off duty now.”  Grace took a step away from Becky as Robyn coughed, “Bullshit,” softly into her hand then masked it by clearing her throat afterward.  The redhead patted on her friend’s back.  

“You guys…  It’s so nice to offer…  But I just…  I don’t know.”  Rebecca shuffled a little in place, fidgeting with her blonde hair with one finger in the process.  “Bec…  Look,” Sam interjected, “I know Zack didn’t do this.  Now, we have to find a way to prove that he’s innocent.”  Sam leaned a little away from the counter, as if expecting Rebecca to give in.  Grace frowned softly.  “Okay,” Becky conceded.  “I’m gonna go get the keys.”  Rebecca shuffled from the room, leaving Robyn and Grace alone with the two brothers.  Sam and Dean took a few steps away and leaned their heads together to talk quietly amongst themselves.  Both women subtly moved closer to overhear the brothers’ conversation with piqued interest.  “...  Two places at once?  We’ve looked into less,” Sam whispered.  Grace glanced to Robyn and shrugged her shoulders.  Both women took a step away as they overheard the jingling of keys just before Rebecca entered the room.

“Rebecca,” Grace warned gently before Robyn or the guys could speak, “This doesn’t seem like a good idea.”  Robyn nodded in agreement.  “It’s a crime scene,” Grace continued.  “It could end with tampered evidence and-”  “Well, Dean’s a detective,” Sam interjected.  “We aren’t going alone.  And we won’t move anything.”  Grace huffed softly, crossed her arms, and frowned at Sam.  Grace knew Sam had gone to law school.  So, why was he suggesting all of this?  In the end, protests fell on deaf ears and the boys drove with Becky in their Impala while Robyn and Grace followed in their Cadillac Escalade EXT.

Climbing down from the Escalade, Grace glanced toward the sleek black Impala overhearing Becky ask Dean if he was _sure_ this was okay.  “Yeah.  I _am_ an officer of the law,” he responded.  Grace’s slim fingers pulled the matte black handle of the Escalade’s back door and she unzipped a blue duffel bag lying on the floorboard.  Her back to the others gave her the opportunity to twitch slightly at Dean’s comment unnoticed.  She pulled two pairs of latex gloves and shoe-covers from the bag.  Tossing a pair of each to Robyn on the other side of the vehicle, she bumped the door shut with her hip.  As she pulled on one glove at a time, she began to follow the brothers.  Her eyes narrowed when she noticed their bare hands and dirty shoes entering the house.

As Grace passed by Rebecca, she was glad to see Becky was hesitant to enter.  She hoped Rebecca would call the whole thing off.  Once inside the house, however, Grace’s thoughts turned elsewhere.  Her eyes noticed the splatters of blood on the wall, the floor, and the furniture.  Her brain began to attempt to recreate the scene.  A frown decorated her features as Grace became disturbed at the image her mind created - the absolute slaughter of the poor woman who died and the aggression that was displayed by the blood that had erupted across various surfaces.

Finishing putting on the shoe covers, Robyn followed Grace in and looked around.  Wrinkling her nose at the scene, she tried to refrain from commenting as she moved cautiously around the room.  From behind her, Sam spoke sympathetically, “Bec, you wanna wait outside?”  Both Grace and Robyn turned to look at Rebecca.  Both held the hope that Rebecca would indeed stay out, not wanting her to see the massacre inside.  Grace nodded in agreement ,”Maybe you should-”  “No,” the blonde puffed up bravely, “I want to help.”  Rebecca ducked under the yellow police tape.  Sam moved toward Becky, talking to her gently to help her compose herself.  

Grace moved around the room.  Her eyes analyzed everything she could, including the way Dean touched everything with his gloveless hands; the way Robyn was following Sam a few feet behind him, though the slight quirk to Robyn’s smile and the way she was looked at Sam’s backside informed Grace that Robyn’s mind wasn’t on the crime scene.  Shaking her head gently, Grace stopped for a moment, and noted how the neighbor’s dog hadn’t stopped barking since they’d arrived.  In fact, Grace had thought to herself, he hadn’t stopped barking since the attack.  Grace returned her attention to the room.  This time the images in her mind showed the blade that was probably used and every stroke it made, creating the splatters on the floor…  The coffee table…  The couch…  The wall…  She was so engrossed that she missed the fact that Robyn and Sam had disappeared into the kitchen.  Their voices floated into the room in casual conversation and brought Grace back to the present. When she looked up, she watched Dean and Becky make their way towards the kitchen as well.  Realizing she was alone in the room, she followed suit.

In the kitchen, Robyn seemed to be consoling Rebecca as the two brothers were talking to one side with ducked heads and whispered words.  The way Robyn was tilting her head indicated that she was attempting to listen not only to Rebecca, but the brothers as well.  Grace moved to stand by Robyn as she hoped to overhear the hushed comments as well.

Dean stepped away from his brother and asked Rebecca, “So…  The tape…  The security footage.  You think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it?  ‘Cause, I just don’t have that kind of jurisdiction.”  Rebecca smiled sheepishly, “I’ve already got it.  I didn’t wanna say something in front of the cop.”  Dean laughed, missing Robyn choking down her own chuckle.  Both earned a glare from Grace.  “I stole it off the lawyer’s desk.  I just had to see it for myself,” Becky finished with a slight shrug.  “Alright.  Let’s get going then,” Dean said as he turned to leave.  Sam lingered behind long enough to give a shy smile before he waved the ladies onward.  “After you.”  “Such a gentleman,” Grace mumbled as she passed him by.  Robyn grinned impishly and gave a flirtatious wink, which caused Sam’s smile to turn sheepish.  “Stop that!”  Grace said without even turning around.  “What!?!”  Robyn asked as innocently as she could.

 

When the group had reconvened at the house, they’d all gathered at the couch in front of the television.  Putting the tape in the VCR, Rebecca pushed “Play” and sat with Dean and Sam on the couch.  Grace and Robyn stood behind them.  All eyes were fixed on the screen and the scene that played out before them.  Dean pointed out the timestamp on the screen as Zack was shown entering his house, “Twenty-two oh-four.”  He looked to Sam with a puzzled look.  “That’s just after ten.”  Looking to Becky, Dean continued, “You said time of death was ten-thirty?”  Becky nodded, “Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert.  He says the tape’s authentic.  It wasn’t tampered with.”  She leaned back into the couch cushions.  Rebecca’s eyes never left the tape, as if she might miss something she had never seen before over the several times she had reviewed the tape.  Grace, however, noticed that something grabbed Sam’s attention.  

Pausing the tape, Sam turned to the trio of girls in the room, “Hey, Bec?  Can we take those beers now?”  “Oh, sure,” Becky responded absently, almost lost in thought.  She began to make her way to the kitchen, pausing only when Sam called her name again.  “And maybe some sandwiches too?”  His eyes flickered to Robyn and Grace.  Taking the hint, Robyn crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, “This ain’t Hooters, bub…  You hungry?  Go feed yourself.”  Grace frowned and stayed by Robyn, and watched the interaction.  Rebecca simply smiled and continued as if never having been stopped.  The brothers leaned in together, attempting to block the view of the television from the girls behind the couch.  “Check this out,” Sam whispered to his brother as he rewound the tape.  He paused where Grace had known he would, and showed the odd color that overlaid Zack’s eyes on the screen.  “Well, maybe that’s a camera flare,” Dean whispered back.  Sam shook his head slightly, “That’s not like any camera flare I’ve ever seen.”  Robyn peered over Sam’s left shoulder with a thoughtful expression as he startled at her voice, “You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul.”  Dean looked to her, surprised, “Right.”  Grace’s head appeared over Dean’s right shoulder with a contemplative frown, “Remember the viciously barking dog back at Zack’s?  Maybe he saw that thing.  Maybe it’s some kind of double of Zack’s, or something that looks like him but isn’t really him? Like a uh… A…”  Robyn looked to Grace behind the brothers, “Like a doppelganger.”  Grace nodded at Robyn, “Yeah. That.”  The brothers looked to each other as if trying to contemplate when they lost the conversation.  Grace nodded again, and tapped her finger to her chin in deep thought, “You know…  My uncle used to talk about creatures like that a lot when I was younger… Before he became the family black sheep...”  Both Sam and Dean’s eyes widened in surprise.  Ignoring the brothers at this point, Robyn nodded in agreement as she straightened and looked to the side in deliberation, “Yeah…  It’d sure explain how he was in two places at once.”  Sam, in an attempt to regain control of the conversation, “It’s something to look into.”  The quartet went silent as Becky entered the room again, bringing beers for everyone but Grace, who took a bottle of water.  Despite Robyn’s protest, Becky also managed to produce a small tray of sandwiches, which was passed around the room.

 

The next morning, Grace woke early and dressed in her jogging gear.  Her red hair was pulled up into a tall ponytail and an Ipod was strapped to her arm.  She set out before the sun had risen above the horizon, leaving the others to sleep in without her.  As she jogged down the road, making the same route as she had for the last two weeks since both she and Robyn had stayed with Rebecca, she circled the block and found Sam and Dean parked outside Zack’s house.  They talked back and forth about something she couldn’t hear until she pulled the earphones from her ears.  She came to a stop at the corner down the way, out of sight from the pair.  “‘Cause they think the killer never left,” Dean suggested, “And they caught your friend, Zack, inside.  I still don’t know what we’re doin’ here at five-thirty in the morning.”  He lifted a cup of coffee to his lips as he shifted and leaned against the hood of his car.

Near him, Sam emerged following a trail from the garbage shed Grace had ducked behind to keep from being seen.  She peered around when she heard Sam’s voice, “Blood.  Somebody came this way.”  “Yeah, but the trail ends,” Dean replied.  “I don’t see anything over here,” he continued as he half-assedly looked around at his surroundings.  Grace squinted her eyes in the direction that Sam stood, realizing Dean wouldn’t notice her in his present groggy state.

As sirens blared closer and closer, an ambulance rushed by and made Grace almost jump.  She let her eyes follow its course before plugging in her music again and followed after it at a decent running pace, being sure to stay out of sight from Dean and Sam.  However, as she arrived at the scene, Grace noted Dean already there.  The Impala, however, was nowhere to be seen.  

A man was being pushed into the backseat of a police cruiser.  She stepped forward into the crowd, her Ipod paused so she could listen discreetly to the conversations around her without being noticed.  “I can’t believe it,” an onlooker said.  “Another murder so soon?” Inquired another bystander.  “And he was so nice too.  Who knew he’d tie her up and beat her?”  Commented a woman near Grace to another who had her mouth covered with her well-manicured nails.  “It’s just terrible, Susan.  The police better get going on this soon before someone else dies.”  “Especially with that crazy talk…  Seeing himself in the house…  What a nut.”  “Well, at least he’s detained.”  

Grace looked away from the scene to see Dean walking away, his bow-legged gait hard to miss even from the distance he had already gained.  She wound her way through the crowd after him, curious about what he had to say to Sam, who had obviously not gone with his brother.  By the time she was close, Dean had returned to his brother.  Blending into the crowd, she stayed nearby to eavesdrop on them.  “Well, I just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene,” Dean informed his brother, “Heard this guy, Alex’s story.  Apparently, the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked.”  Grace raised an eyebrow, glad to have been able to catch some of the conversation.  “So, he was at two places at once,” Sam surmised.  Dean nodded, “Exactly.  Then, he sees himself in the house.  Police think he’s a nutjob.”  “Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way?”  Sam thought outloud.  “Could be the same thing doin’ it too,” suggested Dean.  Silence fell as Sam contemplated the information.  Finally, his mouth opened to say the very thing that had sprung to the front of Grace’s mind, “Shapeshifter?”  Dean shrugged, “Every culture in the world has a shapeshifter lore.  You know.  Legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or other men.”  Sam nodded, “Right.  Skinwalkers…  Werewolves…”  “We’ve got two attacks within blocks of each other.  I’m guessin’ we’ve got a shapeshifter prowlin’ the neighborhood,” observed Dean.  Grace frowned and  mumbled under her breath, “Lovely…”  She looked up and down the street to make sure she wasn’t being watched or followed, then she turned back to pay attention to the conversation again.  “...  Yeah.  And, just like at Zack’s house, the trail suddenly ends.  I mean, whatever it is, just disappeared,” Sam continued.  Dean shrugged, “Well, there’s another way to go…”  Grace blinked once, and finished the sentence with the man as he looked to the nearest manhole cover,  “Down.”  She chewed at her lower lip, and hoped against hope that these two would _not_ be going down into the sewers.  Very quickly, she was proven that the brothers were indeed as predictable as she thought them to be.

As she watched the brothers disappear blow and the cover be shifted back over the hole in the ground, she resolved herself to sitting.  As she waited for their return, she hoped that she would learn something new about the situation, but the knowledge that all of the bedtime stories her mother had ever told her when she was young had been _real_ kept her distracted until the brothers reemerged from the sewers.  When they revealed nothing of what they may or may not have seen down under, she went on her way back to the house.

 

Grace sprinted the whole way, her breath bated and her forehead sweaty by the time she pushed the front door open and sidled up to Robyn, who was on her laptop in the kitchen but watching an agitated Becky over the screen.  “So,” she whispered as she eyed Becky on the phone in the next room, “Another attack.  The victim is alive.  The brothers think it’s a shapeshifter.  And, I really can’t disagree... No matter how much I want to.”  Robyn kept her eyes glued on Becky, but passed a piece of paper with the heading of “Detective Dean Winchester” and the results of a search of the “Bisbee Police Department’s Personnel Roster.”  “He’s _so_ not a cop,” Robyn whispered to Grace.  She blinked as her thoughts focussed on what Grace had said, “Shit…  A shapeshifter?”  “Yeah,” Grace answered softly, “And they are _way_ knowledgeable about it.  Like…  Beyond ‘just a fascination’ level.”

Rebecca’s voice floated into the kitchen from the foyer, “I told the lawyers that we went to the crime scene.”  Robyn chuckled softly, “Oooooooooh…  Someone’s about to be busteeeeeed…”  Grace snapped her fingers in front of Robyn’s face and she whispered sharply, “Robyn!  Stay on track!  Shapeshifter…  Deaths…”  Rebecca’s voice continued to be heard, “Well, I told them that we were with a police officer.  And, imagine my surprise when I found out that there is no Detective Dean Winchester.”  Becky paused briefly before she spoke into the phone exasperatingly again.  “No…  I don’t understand why you would lie to me about something like that…  Oh, trying to help!?!  Do you realize that that was a _sealed crime scene_!?!  This could have just ruined Zack’s case! ... No…  Goodbye, Sam.”  There was a small beep as Rebecca hung up the house phone.  

Robyn’s gaze quickly went to her monitor and she began typing.  Robyn whispered softly to Grace, “Right…  This is where we take over…  Think you can find the brothers again?”  Grace nodded, her red hair gently bouncing with the motion.  “They’re either in the sewers again or at Zack’s.  They looked like they were prepping for a hunt.”  Grace went quiet to reflect on what she’d said, an odd feeling creeping up in her stomach.  Robyn nodded absentmindedly in agreement as she continued to type on her laptop, “That would make sense if they’re hunters.  But they’ll just mess it up.”  Grace concurred, “No kidding.  Look what they did to the crime scene.”  The memory left her cringing.  She continued, “If their DNA _isn’t_ all over that crime scene…  And it somehow goes unnoticed by anyone with even a fraction of a brain…  I’ll be surprised.”  “Try and see if you can’t stall them while I do a Locator Virus on the shapeshifter,” Robyn continued as if she hadn’t noticed Grace’s tangent.  “All this time, I thought that _that_ was just a joke,” Grace mused as she turned to leave again.  Robyn glanced to her friend and smiled softly, “Welcome to the Weird World.”

 

Several hours passed before Grace ran into Dean, almost literally, in an alleyway in the dark.  She eyed the gun he tried to hide before she surveyed his facial expression, which seemed to be a terrible attempt of nonchalance.  She smiled sweetly at him.  “Uh…  Hey…  What are you doing here?”  Dean asked.  Grace glanced down at herself, her outfit, and looked back up at him with a raised brow, “I’d say…  Jogging?”  She answered sarcastically.  Dean nodded as if he’d known that.  “Oh…  Yeah…  Jogging…  That sounds…  Healthy…  And stuff.”  He made a face that was a combination between the dislike of his answer and unease of the situation.  Smile unwavering, Grace raised a brow, “Yeeeeeeeah…  So…  Is that a gun in your pocket or is this about to get awkward?”  Dean shuffled in place and turned his eyes elsewhere, “Awkward…  Definitely awkward.”  Grace teased, “Awwww…  You’re adorable.”  After a few awkward moments of small talk, Dean gave Grace nothing new to go on.  However, Grace gave him even less so as to not give herself and Robyn away.  Eventually, she parted ways with him and returned to the Warren household to update Robyn.

 

Upstairs in Grace’s room, Robyn and Grace talked about the sewers and how that could be significant, deducing that the shapeshifter, shapechanger, or whatever it was, could have used them as a means of travelling unnoticed.  Robyn had searched on her laptop and informed Grace the only way to kill it was with silver.  Needing to charge her laptop, Robyn went to her room to continue working on the Virus as well as plug her computer in.

After a few minutes of being left alone with her thoughts, Grace realized that she could hear voices downstairs.  She sidled her way quietly down each step until she watched Dean and Becky sitting together on the couch.  They talked in hushed tones.  Grace’s eyes locked on Dean, never leaving his profile.  She narrowed her eyes as a thought began niggling at the back of her head.  Something wasn’t right.  Even if she couldn’t hear the conversation, she could tell something was off, almost _wrong_.  As Dean leaned in to whisper into Becky’s ear, the hairs on the back of Grace’s neck stood on end.  Rebecca jumped away from Dean as she refused him with obvious disgust to whatever he had whispered.  This caused an alarming reaction in Dean and, for a split second, Grace saw a flash in Dean’s eyes that had been eerily similar to the same flash Zack’s eyes had on the videotape.  Grace’s eyes widened and she darted up the stairs, and grabbed Robyn from her computer and pulled her to her feet.  “Becky!  Shapeshifter!,” Grace whispered hastily as she continued to pull Robyn to the stairs, “Downstairs!  I’ll distract.  You get her!”  “Shit!”  Robyn responded, now keeping up with her friend.

Without another word, Grace and Robyn ran down the stairs.  Grace took the stairs with precise, measured steps while Robyn cleared two at a time.  Turning her last step into a leap, Grace pulled the Not-Dean from where he’d been straddling Becky and to the floor in a grapple.  Robyn, right behind her on the stairs, quickly ran over to Rebecca and grabbed her hand.  “Run!”  Robyn yelled as she dragged Rebecca to her feet and out the door, leaving Grace alone.  As she struggled with the creature, Grace discovered very quickly that Not-Dean was stronger than her.  Punches were thrown and Grace dodged a few dangerous blows, but, in the end, she found herself in a chair, bound, gagged, and bruised all over.

 

Robyn continued to run with Rebecca until they had cleared a few blocks.  They stopped to glance behind them to see if they were followed.  Robyn cussed, “Shit…  She should be behind us.”  Rebecca started sobbing softly as Robyn pulled her phone from her back pocket.  Dialing, she pulled Rebecca into an alley and behind a garbage shed.  “Stay put.”  Robyn ordered harshly before continuing to push buttons on her phone.  Rebecca sniffled, “What are you doing?”  “Tripping your silent alarm,” replied Robyn.  Rebecca blinked, confused, “You can do that from here?”  Robyn smiled softly, “There’s a lot I can do…  Look…  Stay put.  I’m going back for Grace.”  Becky grabbed onto Robyn’s arm.  “No!  He’ll get you too!”  Robyn pried Rebecca’s fingers from her arm.  “I have cavalry comin’.  Stay here.  I’ll get Grace and we’ll come back for you.”  With that, Robyn began to run back to the house, smiling to herself as she heard sirens blaring in the air.

 

“You’re a nice girl, Grace.  I mean, I liked you.  I liked all of you.  Believe me.  That just makes this harder.”  The Not-Dean inspected the blood-soaked blade in his hand.  The moonlight from the nearby window glittered from it eerily as he dragged it across her skin again.  “But I gotta do what I gotta do,” he whispered as he flung the blade from her skin, sending her blood over the floor and furniture around her.  Grace’s whimper of pain was muffled by the gag in her mouth.  “Shhhhhh…”  He hushed her.  His hand covered her mouth and he pressed the blade against her cheek threateningly as a new sound echoed through the house.  She glared at him, and wished she was free to get a few more hits of her own in.   However, he began to move away and into the shadows as the new sounds drew closer.  He slipped from the room, leaving her in the silence with her bruises that throbbed and cuts that slowly dribbled out blood in rivulets.  A few moments later, the door was kicked in and a team of men in black and grey suits, body armor, and guns invaded.  Guns were pointed in every direction.  “It’s okay,” one said to her as he crouched before her and pulled the gag from her mouth.  “Which way did he go?”  “Down the hall and to the left, I think,” she responded quickly.  He began to untie her hands and feet while the rest of the team moved to follow the shapeshifter.  Grace heard shouts and, after a second, gunfire rang in a neighboring room before she heard someone on the phone with the ambulance service.  A third person placed a call for an APB.  Grace sighed in defeat.  He’d gotten away.

 

An hour or so passed quickly with question and answer sessions from cop to cop, with paramedics who checked Grace over several times before they accepted her decision to not go to the hospital after she continuously assured them her injuries were not so serious.  Once they were alone, Robyn informed Grace that she’d tripped the alarm after stashing Rebecca in a hiding spot a few blocks away.  Annoyed, Grace looked to the back of Robyn’s head as she followed her friend, “So…  You left her alone?”  Robyn rolled her eyes, “Well…  It was either that or leave you in the hands of a sicko-psycho.”  As they reached the hiding spot, Grace looked to Robyn with an ‘I told you so’ look. Rebecca was nowhere to be seen.  Robyn cussed softly under her breath and sighed.  The sounds of sirens nearby and shouting disrupted their already silent conversation.  Grace and Robyn looked to each other in surprise as they overheard Sam’s voice, “Look, they can’t hold me.  Just go!  Keep out of sight!  Meet me at Rebecca’s.”  There was a pause as Grace and Robyn peered around the corner to see a police cruiser cutting off each end of the alley.  Sam stood in the middle, between the two, and Dean had disappeared over a wooden fence of a neighbor’s.  Sam yelled to Dean, “Stay out of the sewers alone.  I mean it!”

Officers converged on Sam with guns drawn and shouted at him to put his hands in the air.  Robyn nudged Grace to get her attention and whispered softly, “You pull Sam from jail…  I’ll follow Dean.”  A small smile twitched on Grace’s face as she said matter-of-factly, “You think he’s going to get into trouble.”  The look Robyn gave was ignored as Grace turned and made her way back to the house.  Once there, Grace changed and put on enough makeup to hide the few marks on her face from her earlier brawl.  The drive was an easy one in the Escalade with Journey blaring over the speakers and her thumbs tapped at the steering wheel, even for a minute longer after being parked in the lot outside the police station.

“Oh…  Right…  Saving people,” Grace reminded herself before she stepped gracefully from the car, a briefcase in hand, and her heels clicking along the asphalt toward the precinct double doors.  Her hands pulled down the long sleeves of her blazer nervously before she took a deep breath and entered the facility.  “Good evening, gentlemen,” Grace greeted the two guards at the door.  “I believe you have my client, Sam Winchester.  I’d like to see what you have that constitutes him being held.”  She smiled charmingly at the two men who exchanged glances, looked her over once, then began briefing her on what they had.  One red brow rose when they quieted, “Meaning…  Everything you have is circumstantial.  I think it’s time for him to be released…   _Now_ .” The last word rolled from her tongue in a demanding tone.  “Of course,” the taller officer conceded, pushing his desk chair away from his computer and moved around the desk with a hand extended in an _after you_ motion, “This way, please.”  “Ever the gentleman,” she smiled sweetly as she remarked, letting him guide her to a door that the officer unlocked and held open for her.  Her smile turned more polite as she shifted her hold on the briefcase in her hand to step around the officer even as he spoke, “Mr. Winchester, your attorney has made arrangements for your release.”  The look on Sam’s face was gratifying enough for Grace.  His pupils dilated in surprise and his shoulders tensed with the realization that she, too, was not who she seemed to be.  “Let’s go, Sam,” Grace said cooly.  He nodded, and Grace turned to leave, not waiting for him and his monstrous stride to catch up to her own smaller one.  By the time the doors to the precinct were shut behind them, she was letting out a sigh of relief and her shoulders sagged into her more natural posture.  Her grip loosened on her briefcase and the smile on her lips seemed more satisfied than dutiful.

“Okay…  Spill,” Sam demanded as his arm moved between her and the driver’s side door of the Escalade.  He pressed his palm flat against the door and easily shut it again.  “You’re no lawyer,” he accused.  “And your brother’s no cop,” she countered matter-of-factly.  “Let’s just say we’re on the same side.”  She glanced toward the car again, really wishing he’d move.  “Wait…  You’re a hunter!?!”  Sam asked incredulously.  Grace pulled the briefcase forward, holding it loosely in both hands, as if creating a barrier between herself and Sam.  “Well…  Sort of…  Look…  I really don’t have the time to explain.”  

She paused to take a breath and met his gaze again, “We lost track of Rebecca and Robyn is following Dean.  So, you and I have to hunt down Rebecca.”  Sam shook his head, “No, I have to get my brother first.  We’ve got to stop the shapeshifter.”  A scoff left Grace’s lips and she finally turned away from him, her hand grabbing the crook of his elbow and pulled his arm from between herself and the car.  “Yeah.  Your brother just _oozes_ with the impression he’s going to wait for you to get out before he goes hunting the thing that stole his face and his car.”  She gestured for him to get in with a nod of her head, “You Winchesters…”  Sam sighed, resigned.  “Okay…  Point made.”  Sam circled to the passenger side, taking the cue that Grace would not let him stall her much longer.  “We’ll check the house again before looking through the alleys.  I’m hoping she went home when everything settled down,” Grace said as she started the car, not seeming to be phased when _Don’t Stop Believing_ blared over the radio as loud as it could possibly be.  Sam looked to her with a raised eyebrow, “Really!?!...  Journey!?!” He yelled over the song.  Grace reached over to turn down the music, “Hey,  I’d rather not stop believing and keep on runnin’ than be on the highway to Hell,” she remarked as she pulled the vehicle onto the road.  “But you’re welcome to change it at any time,” she allowed, not seeing the blink he gave her…  Or the smile.  “No, it’s fine.  Driver picks the music.”

 

Robyn glanced at her PalmPilot again, and frowned as she watched the arrowed blip on the screen of a street map that lead down a nearby alley while another appeared at the Warren house.  Glancing around, she followed down an alley until she stopped at a manhole cover.  Muttering to herself, she scrunched up her nose, “Great…”  Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned, her hand instinctively reached behind her to grasp the silver knife tucked in its sheath at her back.  Sighing in relief, she chuckled to herself as Dean hastily put something inside his jacket.  As she frowned softly, she raised her PalmPilot and let it’s camera flash feature flare into Dean’s eyes.  “Son of a bitch!”  Dean exclaimed as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand.  Shrugging, Robyn double-checked the map on her PalmPilot.  Ignoring his discomfort, she glanced at the manhole cover,  “Sorry, had to check.”  “For what?”  Dean asked as he shook the spots from his vision.  “For reflective eyes…  Ya know…  Shapeshifter…”  Dean chuckled uneasily, “Shapeshifter?  What kind of crazy notion is that?”  Robyn looked to Dean and sighed, “The notion that either that’s a gun in your jacket loaded with, I hope, silver bullets, or it’s about to get really awkward.”

Dean looked to her surprised, “Okay…  After this is all done, we’re all gonna sit down and have a nice little chat.”  Robyn smiled sweetly, “I don’t kiss and tell, pretty boy.”  She knelt down and removed the manhole cover.  Dean watched her, “What are you doing?”  Sighing, she looked up at him like he was mentally slow, “Well…  I’m tracking shapeshifter and Rebecca…  She wasn’t where I stashed her…  And my little handy gadget here,” she showed him her PalmPilot, “says that one is back at the Warren house…  Which I’m hoping is Rebecca…  And the other is in the sewers…  Which, again hoping, is our friendly, neighborhood sicko-shifter.”  “Oh,” he said.  After a few moments, ones which Robyn counted mentally, Dean frowned, “Wait…  You knew I wasn’t the shifter yet you still flashed me.”  Robyn grinned, looked up at him, and batted her eyelashes playfully, “Well, a lady can’t be too careful these days…  You could’ve been some pervert pretending to be a cop.”  Slowly, Robyn began to descend into the sewers.  She hit the bottom before she heard the, “HEY!” from Dean above.  

Robyn glanced down at her PalmPilot as she pointed it both directions in the sewer, then heard Dean step down behind her.  “This way,” she whispered.  Quietly, she lead Dean down the sewers and pulled her dagger from its sheath at her back.  “What?  No gun?”  Dean whispered sarcastically.  She replied with a shake of her head, “Too unpredictable…  Could jam…  Could prematurely go off…  Besides, if I’m going to kill something, I’m going to let the last thing it see be the one who sent it to the beyond.”  Dean paused momentarily as he blinked at Robyn’s back, “I don’t know whether to worried... Or turned on.”

After a few moments, Dean and Robyn entered the shapeshifter’s den, which was filled with candles and chains and various trinkets thrown about.  Revolting piles of skin and blood were scattered all over the floor.  “Wow, he’s been busy,” Robyn grimaced.  Dean looked to her and motioned for silence as he moved to the far side of the den where a figure was covered by a sheet.  Slowly, he raised his gun and looked to Robyn, who checked her PalmPilot.  Nodding, she took a stance in preparation to lunge with her knife if necessary.  They mouthed the count to three together, Dean yanked the sheet off the figure to reveal Rebecca with her hands and feet tied with rope.  Dean began to untie Rebecca’s bonds before Robyn gave him a “really?” look and passed him a switchblade from her pocket.  He blinked at her and she shrugged, “A girl’s gotta be prepared.”  Dean looked to Rebecca as he began to cut at her bonds, “What happened?”  Rebecca sobbed her response, “I was waiting for Robyn and Grace.  I got scared, so I started heading back home.  And then everything just went white.  Someone hit me over the head.  I wound up here just in time to see that _thing_ turn into me.  I don’t know.  How is that even possible?”  Dean reassuringly rubbed Rebecca’s arms as Robyn frowned down at her PalmPilot.  Raising it up, she activated the flash feature again, causing Dean to cover his face, “Again with the flashes!?!”  Rebecca blinked rapidly as Dean glared at Robyn.  Robyn looked to Dean with discouraging look, “She’s not the shapeshifter.”  “Well, duh,” he replied.  Sighing, she showed him the blips on her PalmPilot again, “If she’s the blip in the sewer…  That means the other blip isssss…”  Dean’s eyes widened as he looked to Robyn again, “Son of a bitch!”

 

A few minutes later, Grace and Sam sat in the living room with Rebecca, talking about shapeshifters.  “So, say this shapeshifter is real…  By the way, you know you’re crazy?...  But, um, say it _is_ real.  How do you stop it?”  Grace kept her frown from her face as she eyed Rebecca.  For some reason, she had that “something is not right” feeling again.  But this time, it’s with her friend, who circled behind the couch.  Rebecca handed the pair a beer each, and Grace accepted despite the fact that she never drank in front of Becky.  “Thanks,” Sam said with a sigh.  “With a silver bullet to the heart.”  He answered.  The thought hit Grace again, _‘I never drink in front of Becky_ .’  Grace’s eyes widened and she whispered in alarm to Sam, “Sam…  This isn’t-”  “You _are_ crazy,” came Becky’s response before there was the sound of shattered glass and the pain to the back of Grace’s head, followed shortly thereafter…  By darkness…

“...  Have some fun with Grace first…  Before killing her slowly.  Hell, he may even let you watch.  That’ll be fun, won’t it?”  The voices seemed muffled at first.  The first part of the conversation had been missed as Grace began to come around, her head lifted and her eyes blinked away the stars to see Dean pass in front of her.  She tried to lean forward, but the ropes at her shoulders restricted her and she heard a small sound of protest from Sam in the chair behind her.  “They’ll never catch him,” she heard Sam say.  She looked over her shoulder at Sam with a neutral expression, Grace realized they were tied back-to-back in chairs.  “Oh,” Not-Dean continued, “It doesn’t matter…  Another serially mutilated woman…  And the murder of his brother?  He’ll be hunted for the rest of his life.”  Grace didn’t understand _why_ the creature, the shapeshifter, was doing what he - it - was doing.  Maybe, it was for the sheer pleasure of it all?  It definitely hadn’t started out of fear of being noticed.  And it sure as Hell wasn’t to cover any tracks.  “I must say,” sighed Not-Dean theatrically, “I will be sorry to lose this skin.  Your brother’s got a lot of good qualities.  You should appreciate him more than you do.”  There was a sound of liquid being poured into a glass out of her line of sight.  “Cheers.”  As Not-Dean passed in front of her again, he held a glass with some sort of alcohol.

Grace watched him go into the kitchen, where he plucked a knife from the knife block on the counter, eyed it over once, and returned to the living room. He dramatically slammed it, point down, into the nearby pool table.  Grace glanced over her shoulder again to meet the green gaze of the Winchester behind her with a nod.  She looked up to the Shapeshifter as he shuffled about, and she waited patiently.  When he was finally close enough to her, Grace lifted her legs and kicked out at him with all of her might, which sent him to the ground and gave both she and Sam a chance to work together, half-bouncing / half-dragging their tied-together chairs towards the knife.  Grace reached up with her bound wrists and began to cut her ties first.  She then passed the knife to Sam once her hands were free.  “Sam,” she began warningly as she leaned down to untie the bonds at her feet while he cut at his own restraints.  Her eyes watched as Not-Dean stood and began to advance on her with eyes that glittered silver and an expression that said she had no chance against him while she was still hindered by the chair.  “Saaaaaaammm…”  Grace’s voice and movements became more frantic as she tried unsuccessfully to work at the ropes.  Her fingers moved faster, but still got nowhere.  To her relief, however, the blow that had been meant for her was blocked by Sam, who pushed Not-Dean away from where she sat.

Letting out a breath, Grace successfully untied the ropes at her ankles after a few more seconds.  Smiling, satisfied with herself when the ropes finally went slack, Grace stood up.  She watched as Sam was thrown to the ground and she sprint-jumped over him.  Her arms circled around Not-Dean and her momentum carried the two of them to the ground.  She straddled his hips, just as he had done to Becky, and she punched as hard as she could, dealing blow after blow to his kidneys.  She muttered a few curses at him under her breath with each strike.

One fist landed in his hand, however, and in the next second, she was underneath him instead.  He raised a fist as he growled out, “Oh, you bitch…”  He dealt one blow to the jaw before a flash of black and blue pulled him from her view.  She blinked once to clear the stars before she pushed herself to stand, seeing Sam and Not-Dean fighting one another with the occasional conversation thrown in between punches.  She looked around the room and found only pool cues and other small objects that she knew would do no good.  However, as the bookshelf crumbled and fell on top of the fallen Winchester brother, she had no choice but to grab the nearest cue stick and she swung it just as hard as she could across the back of Not-Dean’s head.  It splintered and shattered, much to her chagrin.  What remained in her hand was grabbed and she was yanked towards Not-Dean, who pulled the unsuspecting Grace into yet another blow.

Sam joined the fight and the three of them grappled and yelled and fought each other until they each tripped over the other, which caused the trio to fall into the coffee table and shattered it too.  Grace again saw stars, this time longer than before.  By the time they were gone from her vision, Not-Dean straddled Sam with his hands around his throat.  She tried, really, to throw him off of Sam.  To pull him from the ground and throw him to the side.  To loosen his grip.  But, against something with such an inhuman amount of strength?  It was no surprise to her that all she could do was wrap herself around the creature and go deadweight.  She even looped one arm around his throat in an attempt to choke him out first, and the other dealt struck at Not-Dean’s back.

“HEY!”  Grace froze.  The voice that boomed in the room was very much Dean’s, and that one word held no small amount of venom.  She turned to look towards the door, seeing Robyn at Dean’s side and a gun pointed in her direction.  Slowly, she unwound herself from the shapeshifter and moved away.  The shapeshifter rose from where he had pinned Sam and slowly backed away from Dean with fear-filled eyes.

Two shots rang out in the room, which made Grace wince from the volume of it.  Rebecca suddenly rushed into the room, her eyes going straight to Sam on the floor.  “Sam!”  She cried as she ran over to him and threw herself to the floor beside him.  Her hands lifted Sam’s head and settled it onto her lap, and she began to stroke his hair comfortingly.  “No-no…  I’m fine…  Just a split lip…  Few bruised ribs…  Maybe a concussion…  But fine, nonetheless,” Grace grumbled to herself, not seeing Robyn had crossed the room until she was being petted on the back sympathetically.  Grace glanced at her friend with a frown.  “I’m going to go…  Sit…  Somewhere…  Anywhere…”  She turned to leave the room, not seeing the real Dean pull the necklace from the shapeshifter before the real Dean looked up at each person in the room.  Grace just wanted to lay down upstairs, truth be told.

She paused in the threshold between the living room and the foyer and turned to look back at the room with a thoughtful expression.  “Gunfire…  The neighbors would have called the cops.  Dean should probably get out before they get here.”  Her eyes found Dean’s candy apple green gaze from across the room.  “So, you know, so you don’t raise any questions.”  “Right,” Dean grumbled with a look around the room, “I’ll just take Baby and-”  “You mean the Impala?” Grace interrupted with a shake of her head.  “No, because Sam is staying here and he will need a vehicle for the cops to know he’s still here.”  She glanced to Robyn from across the room.  “We can go to the store.  Get food and stuff.  Because, we’re all tired and Rebecca is _not_ cooking for a household.”  She paused with a thoughtful roll of her eyes to the ceiling, “And I would very much like a soda right about now.”  Robyn nodded in agreement as she looked to Sam, “You might want to come up with a plausible cover story about why you’re here.”  Robyn pulled out her keys and looked to Rebecca, “Give us a call when the coast is clear to come back.”  She followed after Grace.  “You’re driving,” Grace mumbled to Robyn as she continued through the house, this time towards the front door.  “Of course,” Robyn replied.

“Hold on.  I’m not going anywhere without Sam!”  Dean said stubbornly.  Robyn stopped in her tracks and turned to Dean.  “Oh, so you’re gonna play the whole ‘evil twin’ schtick?”  Clapping excitedly, she added with sarcasm, “We’ll stay here then, and watch how that works out!  Who’s bringin’ the popcorn?”  Grace, hand on the half-opened door to the outside, turned, and exhaustedly shouted through the rooms, “Let’s _go_!  We don’t have time for this.  Police…  Sirens…  Handcuffs?  I’ve already bailed Sam out once.  I can’t bail you out too!”  Robyn was pretty sure she saw a pout cross Dean’s lips as he muttered, “Alright, fine!”  He then stomped his way to the front door.  Robyn chuckled as she followed suit, waving to the other two, “Good luck!”  Grace didn’t wait for Dean nor Robyn.  Hearing sirens in the distance and knowing they had little time to get out, she climbed into the backseat of the Escalade, let Dean ride shotgun, and Robyn drive.  

 

After they drove to the furthest store from the house, Robyn parked in the darkest part of the parking lot that was still also the closest to the store.  Once the car was parked, Dean attempted to open his door only for Grace, who had climbed out first for this express reason, to slam it shut in his face.  “No, you’re staying in.  I’m getting the food.”  Dean started to protest before Robyn sighed, “Security cameras…  Gonna explain how you’re lying dead on Rebecca’s floor and at the same time you’re buying a Snickers bar a good distance away?”  Dean slunk back into his seat.  “Fine.”  Robyn smiled gently to Grace, who she figured was about at her wit’s end, “Could I, please, have a cola slushee?”  Dean looked to Robyn, “You’re not goin’ in?”  She shook her head and looked to Dean, “And let you have free reign to do weird shit in my car?  Hells to the no…  Plus… You can’t do this…”  Laying her right hand flat on the dash of the Escalade, a black tint slowly crept over all the windows.  She grinned impishly at Dean who stared incredulously at the windows.  Proudly, Robyn chimed, “Insta-Tint.  No one passing by can see in.”  Cackling, Robyn winked to Grace before she grinned to the stunned Dean, “It’s a button on the other side of the wheel, ya goob.” Rob Zombie’s _Boogeyman_ began blaring through the speakers of the Escalade as Grace headed to the store.  

She was almost at the store’s door when she heard Dean yell at the last second over the loud music something about wanting some pie.  “Of course he does…  Why am I not surprised?”  Grace muttered to herself as she sauntered through the door.  With her hand at her collarbone, her fingers fiddled with the necklace beneath her shirt as she eyed the various drinks at the cooler.  One by one, she plucked drinks from behind the glass doors and shifted them in her hands, and precariously clutched the bottles in her arms while she grabbed food and snacks from the shelves.  She swung by the slushee machine and got Robyn’s large frosty drink.  Finally, she came to think about what _she_ wanted to eat.  Grace moved over to the salty snacks, again fumbling with the items already in her arms but still managed to keep hold.  

As she perused over her options, a husky voice asked from the other end of the aisle, “Need a hand?”  Before Grace could respond, the older man stood next to her, and pulled items from her grasp that had begun to fall.  “You’ve got quite a haul here.”  Grace looked up at the man with the graying hair and wrinkles around his smile.  “Thank you,” she began.  Her eyes gave him a once over before they locked onto his.  Once she met his gaze, she couldn’t look away.  And the longer she looked, the more uneasy she grew.  “Partying?”  He asked, his golden eyes alight with amusement and his smile grew wider.  “I remember those days.”  “Actually,” Grace spoke uneasily quieter as she began to take back her items from the stranger, “I think I’ve got all I need now.  I appreciate the offer though.”  “Of course,” he turned and lead her to the counter where he began placing various pies and chip snacks he’d plucked from her onto its surface.  He smiled to her once more before he turned away.  With a slight nod of his head, the stranger said, “Have a good night, Hannah.”  Nervous, Grace nodded, “Thank you.  You as well.”

“Is this all, Miss?”  Grace nodded to the clerk and then blinked once at the cash in her hand.  Surprise turned into shock and then fear as she looked around to see that the man was gone.  She had never introduced herself to him.  And even if she had, it would never have been by her given first name.  “Miss?”  The clerk called again, louder this time to get her attention.  Grace jumped and turned to him, “I’m sorry?”  “The total is $20.02.”  “Oh…  Right…  Here…”  She passed the clerk a fifty dollar bill and gathered the bags in her hands and the frosty drink, “Keep the change.”  Ignoring the clerk and everything else except the Escalade, Grace hurried back to her friend.

Opening the door to the backseat, Grace was greeted with the Eiffel 65’s song _I’m Blue_ blasting through the speakers.  “Oh, God…  MAKE IT STOP!”  Dean hollered as his head rested on the dashboard.  Grace noticed Robyn happily danced in her seat, either oblivious to Dean’s discomfort or reveling in it.  Grace climbed into the back seat, the bags crinkled as they settled on the seat beside her.  “Is it good to go back now?”  Robyn nodded as she turned down the radio to where they could hear each other.  “Did you get my pie?”  Dean asked hopefully.  Grace stared at Dean with narrowed eyes before she turned and rifled through the bags.  Pulling out three mini-pies, each a different flavor, she tossed all three over his shoulder and onto his lap.  “Happy now?  You didn’t say what kind, so I got what they had.  Apple, cherry, and lemon.”  Grace then passed Robyn her drink to which Robyn happily removed the straw wrapper and began to slowly drink her favorite beverage.  “Sweet!”  Dean replied as he began to unwrap one of the pies, unaware that Robyn next to him stared in the rearview mirror at Grace with some concern.  

She could see that Grace was frazzled, but said nothing.  Robyn off the radio, and Dean let out a sigh of relief before he began to pull back the wrapper to his pie.  As he lifted one of the pies to his mouth, Robyn looked to him and smiled sweetly, “No eating in my car.”  Dean froze just before he bit down on the pie and turned to glare at Robyn.  “Oh, COME ON!”  Robyn smiled cheekily as she took another slow drag from her drink.  “My car…  My rules…  Driver does what she wants…  Smart-ass, male passengers can embrace the suck!”  Grace sat the rest of the bags on the floorboard of the car and turned to lay on her side, her back to the two who bickered up front.  “Wake me up when we get back,” she finally grumbled to the other two.

Some time passed as the Escalade made the trip back to the Warren home.  Grace was quiet in the back, but her breath was not quite even enough to indicate sleep.  In her mind, she turned over and over the face of the man she’d met at the store as if she might recall meeting him somewhere before.  Grace even considered calling her mother to ask if he was a family friend of some kind.  She even analyzed what little she had noted of his face outside the color of his eyes, as if trying to reread an expression she might have missed.  He hadn’t seemed…  Aggressive, really.  Perhaps smug…  Or knowledgeable.  As if he knew something she didn’t.  Which didn’t help her peace of mind since he had known her first name without her telling it to him.  Grace was so perplexed by the whole scenario that she didn’t notice when the Escalade stopped and the engine turned off.

“Hey,” Robyn said as she gently shook Grace from the front seat.  “We’re here, hon.”  The look of concern still on Robyn’s face as Grace nodded.  She contemplated just staying in the Escalade, staring at it’s soft pleather of the backseat, but she knew Robyn wouldn’t leave her alone.  Reluctantly, Grace shuffled around until she sat up, grabbed the bags from the floorboard, and slid from the car. She hip-bumped the door closed before they followed behind Dean, who had already begun to head to the house. Robyn walked silently beside her.  Grace shook her head to herself as she realized Dean was happily munching on one of his pies ahead of them.

 

Grace entered the house last, not surprised to see Sam hold open the door for them and then closed it behind her.  “Becky went to bed,” he informed Grace as she passed him by.  “Here,” he gestured to take the bags from her, but Grace refused.  “I’ve got it,” she protested as she made her way to the living area.  Dean had pulled a chair from the dining room, turned it around, and straddled it with his arms over its back.  Robyn sat on the couch across from him.  Grace took up the space next to Robyn and pulled out a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the bag of goodies before she passed the sack to her friend silently.  Robyn pulled out a travel-size bag of trail mix before she gave the bag to Sam.  Grace slowly twisted the top off her bottle and the contents fizzed.  She took a sip, and seemed to care that the carbonation tickled her nose.

“So…  Hunters, huh?”  Sam finally spoke from where he stood awkwardly to one side.  Grace glanced at him momentarily before giving a shrug.  The bottle lowered from her lips and her hand twisted the cap back on.  “As if _you_ don’t know other hunters,” she remarked.  Silence fell again as each person in the room eyed the other in various ways.  

Grace noticed Dean staring at her and narrowed her eyes at him, “What?”  “How did you know this was a case?”  He asked.  “We were here _before_ Zack was arrested, y’know.  Winter Break and all,” Grace replied smartly.  “So, you knew them before things went sideways?”  Sam asked.  Robyn rolled her eyes and replied sarcastically, “No…  Becky just let a couple of strange chicks into her family’s huge house for a couple of weeks.”  Grace continued, “Of _course_ we knew them!  We went to Stanford with them…  With Sam!  I even had a class with Sam Winchester.”  Sam shifted uneasily as if embarrassed.  “You know…  The guy rumored to have killed his girlfriend,” Grace prodded.  The brothers blinked simultaneously, “Hold on-”  “He didn’t.”  Grace held up a hand.  “I know.  If you _had_ , I’d have turned you in the second you were on the front porch.”  She glanced at Sam as Robyn gave a slight shrug of agreement.

“So…  What?  A couple of hunters just _happen_ to be in town the moment shit hits the fan?”  Dean asked as he waved his drink accusingly at the two on the couch.  Robyn quirked an eyebrow as she looked him in the eyes, “Pot…  Kettle…  What?”  Grace nudged her friend to direct Robyn’s attention back to her and gave Robyn the look that read ‘shut up.’  As she rolled her eyes, Robyn waved a hand at the brothers, “What!?!  Well, unless the boys wanna join us in whipping out the goodies to see which one of us hunters is bigger…”  She sighed in resignation as she caught Grace’s wide-eyed stare, “I suggest we all go to bed.”  Dean grinned impishly as he cheekily inquired, “Was that an offer?”  His eyes flickered between the two ladies on the couch.  Grace opened her mouth to reject the idea of it all when Robyn sat forward with an impish grin and purred, “Well…  Is it just one of you?  Or both at the same time?  Because I can guarantee I can rock you both like a hurricane.”  Grace and Sam exchanged a mutual look of embarrassment over Robyn and Dean before Grace stood, grabbed Robyn’s hand and dragged her friend to her feet.  With her chin tucked in, Grace’s red hair fell forward and blocked the view of her face as she announced to the room, “We are going to bed…  Alone…  Behind locked doors…”  She half-dragged Robyn behind her as Grace headed up the stairs quickly.  Halfway up the stairs, Robyn asked in an innocent voice, “What!?!”  To which Grace replied, “YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT!”  The brothers heard a door slam before the house fell into silence.  Sam looked to Dean, who met his brother’s gaze with a cheeky smile and a shrug of his shoulders as he finished off his drink.

Robyn chuckled as she watched Grace’s agitated movements as she got ready for bed, her back to her friend.  “Well…  You know I could…”  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Grace replied as she turned, her face still curtained by her hair as she pulled back the bedding to lay down.  Robyn quirked an eyebrow, then a slow grin crept across her face.  “Oh…  My…  Goddess…  YOU LIKE HIM!”  Grace rolled over so her back was to her friend, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled.  Robyn cackled maniacally as she slid off her bed and tiptoed to the other side of Grace’s bed, her head lowered so she could see Grace’s pinkish face.  In a sing-song voice, “You liiiiiiike him…  You wanna kiiiiiiss him…  You wanna do the naaaaasty…”  Grace rolled over again.  “Go to bed, Robyn.”  Robyn skipped over to the other side and bent over again to examine Grace’s now red face.  “Is it Sam?”  Grace looked to Robyn with the neutral expression she had practiced with for her FBI training.  “No,” Robyn grinned widely.  “Is it Dean?”  Robyn’s eyes got wider and her smile split her face as Grace felt the heat radiate her cheeks.  “IT’S DEAN!”  “Go…  To…  Bed, Robyn.”  Grace said again as she rolled back over again.  Robyn chuckled as she went to her side of the room and got ready for bed.  As she slid beneath her bedding, Robyn switched off the lights.  Hoping beyond hope for the chance in Hell Robyn would drop the subject, Grace squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to relax and go to sleep.  “Naughty Dean dreams,” Robyn softly chimed a moment before a pillow flew across Robyn’s face from Grace’s bed and hit the wall beside her.  Robyn cackled softly, curled herself in her blankets, and closed her eyes, satisfied.

In the morning, Grace came back into the bedroom freshly showered after her jog.  Walking over to where Robyn slept, she waved a cup of hot coffee under Robyn’s nose.  She heard Robyn inhale the slowly aroma before a hand warily crept out from underneath the blankets to grasp the mug.  Sitting up groggily, her neon hair was a nest of disarray, Robyn glanced around the room sleepily before she looked to Grace, “What time is it?”  “Seven o’clock,” Grace replied as she pulled out her suitcase from under her bed and began to pack.  Robyn looked down at the coffee in her hands then to Grace, “Wait…  Seven…  IN THE MORNING!?!”  Grace smiled broadly and nodded.  Robyn looked to her friend like she’d gone insane, and turned to face Grace.  “Care to explain?”  Grace stopped what she was doing and looked to Robyn, “We’ve got to get a head start so we don’t appear to be obviously tailing brothers.”  An eyebrow slowly raised on Robyn’s face.  “Come again?”  “We’re going to tail the brothers,” Grace repeated.  Robyn looked back down at her coffee mug regretfully as she put it on the nearby nightstand and then looked back to Grace, “And why would we do that?”  Grace sighed, exasperated, “Because…  They need us.”  Robyn simply blinked.  “Without us,” Grace continued as she ticked off each reason on a finger, “Rebecca AND Sam would be dead.  Dean would be in jail.  A shapeshifter would still be killing people. It’s not like we have anything better to do during Winter Break other than binge watch shows.  And…  I wanna see the Weird World.”  Robyn blinked again as her sleepy brain processed the information.  She shrugged and slid off the bed, “Okay.”  Grace sighed again, “Look, they’re amateurs, and they completely ruined a crime scene, and…  Did you just say ‘okay’?”  Nodding, Robyn picked up her bright red suitcase and put it on her bed.  As she opened it, she began to pack, “Yup.  You’re right.”  Grace smiled triumphantly, “Of course I am.”

 

Robyn and Grace were almost finished packing the Escalade when Dean stumbled out of the house to the Impala with a cup of coffee in one hand and a black duffel bag in the other.  Tossing the duffel bag into the backseat as he leaned in through the window, Dean reemerged with a map that he spread over the hood of the car.  He seemed oblivious to the two women as he sipped from his cup of coffee.  A few moments later, Sam walked out of the house carrying a duffel bag of his own and talked softly to Rebecca.  Grace smiled fondly at her friend from a distance, glad that she was now safe.  As Rebecca pulled Sam into a hug, Robyn nudged Grace, “And that’s our cue to go before it gets too mushy and shit.”  Grace nodded and climbed into the passenger side as Robyn hastily rounded the Escalade and got in the driver’s side.  Quietly, the Escalade purred to life as Robyn turned the keys and put the vehicle into drive.  As they drove away, Grace rolled down her window and waved to her friend.

Robyn drove a few miles before they pulled into an I-Hop.  As Robyn parked the car,  Grace looked to her confused, “I thought we agreed to tail them.”  With a big smile, Robyn looked to her friend with a pretend look of hurt, “Oh, ye of little faith…”  A moment later, Robyn produced her PalmPilot from out of the glove compartment.  She then showed Grace a tiny red heart moving over the image of a map on the screen.  “On one of my trips between loading the car…  I may…  Or may not…  Have put a tracker on their car.”  Grace’s smile matched her friend’s.  “So…  Pancakes or waffles?”

  
  
  



	2. "Hook Man"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robyn and Grace have followed after Sam and Dean and met up with them in a cafe. Together, the quartet of Hunters took a job in Ankeny, Iowa involving the Hook Man.

Chapter 2 - “Hook Man”  
(Season 1, Episode 7)

A few hours had passed since breakfast at IHOP, and Grace had gotten comfortable in the passenger seat of the Escalade with a sketchbook in her lap. She pulled her feet up into the seat and shifted her weight, got comfortable, and then put pencil to paper. The graphite scratched away at the sheet, as she haphazardly created lines of a face that had yet to take any particular shape.

“Soooo…” Robyn’s voice floated to Grace’s ears as the driver reached forward and turned the music down. “There may be something you need to know if you’re serious about wanting to see this ‘Weird World’ stuff.” Grace paused mid-stroke and lifted the pencil from the paper, blinked once, and turned a curious stare at her friend’s profile. “I’m listening,” she urged. Robyn had never been so hesitant with her before. “Okay… Uh… IactuallydomagicandthatmaybebecauseIhavealittledemonbloodinme… Whew…Okay! Good talk!” The music from the radio turned up a few notches in volume without either of the ladies touching the controls. Robyn’s eyes remained fixated on the road ahead, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

  
Grace’s eyebrows rose on her forehead until they disappeared beneath her bangs. “Okay… You… Practice magic… Because of… What?” “I don’t really practice magic… I can just make things... Happen. Usually minor stuff… Or, with computers and tech… Or, if I do a… Ritual.” Grace blinked again in stunned surprise but gave nothing for Robyn to go on. So, Robyn kept talking, “I call it ‘magic’ because that’s the closest thing I can associate it to. And.. Demon blood… Because that’s what my father told me… And he was a Hunter.”

  
Grace leaned forward and turned the music down again so she wouldn’t have to yell over the song. “So, you’ve always known. About Shapeshifters and things?” The sketch on the sketchpad now forgotten in her lap, Grace turned her eyes to the road as well, trying to soak in the information. “I knew a little bit. That’s why I was going to college. I was studying various religions and mythologies to get a head start over what I’d find out there,” Robyn replied. Her eyes still fixated on the road ahead. “...To become a Hunter,” Grace finished. Her lips pursed as she recalled the one time she had asked Robyn about her career goals, and how she had said something about hunting. The redhead had simply assumed her friend had meant hunting animals and things, not monsters. “Huh,” Grace said. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap for a few moments before she spoke up again. “Interesting. So… What else do you know?” Robyn’s shoulders seemed to sag in relief as she replied, “A little bit… Mostly what I looked up on the internet… And through the viruses… Errr… Spells… I create. It’s not a job that comes with a manual, really.” After Robyn glanced at the PalmPilot showing the Impala’s movements, she continued, “I mean… Hunters that come from a family tradition usually keep a personal journal… But… I just know my dad was one… And if he had a journal, I never saw it. So, I’ve been kinda wingin’ it as I go.”

 

After a stop here and a meal there, the Escalade pulled into a parking spot across the street from a cafe. Robyn stepped out first with her keys that jingled before she stored them away in her pocket and turned to wait on Grace. The redhead, who still sat in the car, hastily jotted down the last few creatures that Robyn had told her about before she tossed her sketchbook to the back seat with a plop and exited the vehicle as well.

  
“Here?” Grace called across the hood of the car to Robyn, who nodded and gestured towards the pavilion where Dean had sat down. Sam had just left the table and headed towards a payphone. “You get the coffee and I get the chairs?” Grace suggested. Robyn smiled in agreement and went into the cafe to place the order. Grace made her way calmly around the fenced-in terrace with a look around at each person before she passed by Dean, who was focused on the laptop he and his brother use. Subtly, Grace’s hand snaked out and took the clear mug of coffee from his table as she passed behind him. Her eyes glanced at the screen of the laptop he stared at and took note of the search for odd news in the area with a raised brow. When she met up with Robyn again, it was with a shrug and a sip at the almost-cold cup of coffee in her hands. Robyn quirked an eyebrow at the cup, “How’d you get service so fast? They’re packed in there. So, our order may take a few.” Grace simply smiled.

  
The duo turned and made their way back to Dean just as Sam sat back into his chair. Their proximity to the brothers allowed them to catch the conversation. “Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is getting cold over here, Francis.” “Bite me,” Sam grumbled out as he got comfortable and ignored the drink Dean had mentioned. “So, anything?” Dean asked, but not really paying attention to his brother. Sam shook his head and licked his lips in exasperation.

  
“I had‘em check the FBI’s Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe’s fitting Dad’s description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations,” Sam said concerned. “Sam, I’m tellin’ ya. I don’t think Dad wants to be found.” Dean turned his attention to his brother and gauged Sam’s reaction, who had turned his eyes to the side dejectedly. Grace glanced to Robyn, who scrunched her face up as she peered down at the computer screen to see what Dean was working on. “Or,” Robyn began as the two ladies stepped up behind the brothers, “it could be that you two just suck at researching.”

  
Grace sipped again at the coffee she’d stolen from Dean, unphased when the pair whipped their heads around to stare at her and Robyn. Both brothers leapt to their feet. Grace took a step forward and gestured with the cup of coffee at Dean. “Slow down there, slick. If we’d wanted to attack, we would have about four hours ago.”

  
“You’ve been following us,” Sam surmised. “We left you in-” “Correction, we left you in Saint Louis,” Grace said with a shrug. “And then-” “You tailed us,” Dean finished. “Great. Whattaya want?” Robyn took a deep breath and raised a finger and gave Dean a snarky answer. However, Grace stopped her Robyn with a glare and interjected, “To see the Weird World, obviously.” Robyn spoke up before anyone even blinked, and gave a grand gesture at the brothers, “And here you are.” She smiled, pleased with her quick answer. Grace glanced at Sam, who had an odd smile that twitched at his lips briefly.

  
Sam turned back to the subject at hand. “You want to go on a Hunt?” “No. No way,” Dean rejected the idea quickly with a shake of his head. “You’re inexperienced. Amateurs. Probably haven’t even been on a hunt before!” Grace and Robyn spoke in unison, “And who was it that messed up the crime scene!?!” The redhead made a face and continued, “It was horrendous! And one of you got arrested!” A moment of silence passed before anyone moved or said anything. Then, when someone did move, it was Grace who stepped towards the laptop. “Tell us about this article you found,” she said to Dean.

  
The boys exchanged a look between one another. Sam shrugged, and Dean made a face before he turned and sat down in his chair again. “Alright… Fine! But we call the shots! We say something. You do it.” He gazed pointedly first at Robyn and then at Grace. “Got it?” “Deal.” Grace looked to Robyn again with a hint of a smile.

  
“Alright, so check this out.” Dean turned the laptop to show the trio what Grace had already skimmed: an article about a dead college student. As Sam and Robyn began to read, Dean glanced around the table in search of his drink. Grace stepped forward and kindly offered the mug in her hand to him as if she had found it for him. “Thanks,” he grumbled as he took the mug and sipped from it. Grace smiled, “Don’t mention it.”

  
Sam spoke up as he read the words from the screen, “...The mutilated body was found near the victim’s car. Parked on 9 Mile Road.” Sam looked to his brother questioningly. “Keep reading,” Dean urged. Robyn picked up where Sam left off, “Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible.” “Could be something interesting,” Dean pursed his lips at Sam. “Or it could be nothing at all,” Sam countered. “One freaked out witness who didn’t see anything? Doesn’t mean it’s the Invisible Man.” “You’ve looked into less,” Grace interjected.

  
“Dad would check it out,” Dean added with a tilt of his head and a quirk of his brow. Grace and Robyn exchanged a look, a frown on the redhead’s face. “Tell you what,” Grace piped up in a matter-of-fact tone. “We’ll let you two take the lead on this one, but-” Robyn interjected, “But here’s a challenge… If you’re seriously looking for Daddy Dearest… I bet we can find him before the two of you can.” Robyn smiled coyly at the duo as they exchanged a look. “What makes you think you’re so good?” Sam asked with obvious doubt. Robyn shrugged and her smile turned sickly sweet. She continued, “When we do… We don’t do the seedy hotel thing anymore. Have you not been paying attention to the sanitation of those roach motels?” Grace shuddered at the memory. “And if we win-,” Dean started. Grace spoke up before Dean or Robyn could continue, “Then we’ll owe you.” She eyed the look that flashed across Dean’s face and the sparkle that lit his gaze before she spoke up again. It was a sparkle she often had seen in her friend’s eyes. “But we still have to agree to the conditions of the debt.” Sam opened his mouth, but Dean spoke first, “Done.”

  
Robyn nodded at Grace before she gave a look around the motley group. “I’ll go tell the barista to make our order to go.” She missed Grace’s proud smile as she turned to leave. “See you in Ankeny, gentlemen.” With that, Grace turned and meandered her way towards the car to wait on Robyn. When her friend returned and unlocked the car, Grace climbed in and settled for the hour or so drive. She passed the time by drawing in her sketchbook and asked Robyn about anything she could.

 

 

The ladies managed to arrive at the University of Iowa first. Keys jingled as Robyn pulled them from the ignition and sat back in her seat, her earthy-brown gaze surveyed the frat house across the street and the various guys that moved around the lot. A frown brought creases between her brows and she tilted her head towards Grace. “I thought they’d be cuter… More… Jocky… Less nerdy.” Grace shrugged and looked up from her sketchbook. After a moment of taking in the scene, she shrugged again. “They’re about as cute as the ones at Stanford. And you’re a nerd,” Grace pointed out. She popped the sketchbook closed and tossed it to the back seat with its corresponding pencil. “Weren’t you the one who mentioned the pot and kettle to the brothers?” Robyn made a face. “No, I’m a geek. There’s a difference.” “Ah, sorry.” Grace shuffled around in her seat and stretched her legs as far as the cab would let her which earned a popped bone sound here and a protested muscle there. When she settled and turned to her friend again, Grace noticed Robyn had glanced into the rearview mirror and allowed a small smile. Robyn chuckled, “Okay. So, you were right. Here come the Winchesters.”

  
Robyn turned and pushed her door open, slid from the car, and circled to the passenger side. As Grace climbed out as well, the duo shifted in unison to lean side-by-side against the Escalade. Robyn crossed her arms and Grace looked the opposite direction. While Robyn smiled, Grace grimaced and turned to murmur into her friend’s ear. “I don’t want to go into a frat house, Robyn… They smell.” Grace grimaced again. Her nose scrunched up at the funk she could smell that emitted from the house. She continued, “... Like dirty socks and testosterone.” Robyn, unphased by Grace’s disgust, whispered back to her friend, “Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Grace’s expression never changed, “I’m not sure if I should be happy about that or not. Is it a good plan?” Robyn didn’t miss a beat, “It’s a plan.” The neon-haired female turned a playful wink at Grace before she pushed away from the car and moved towards Dean and Sam. “Great,” Grace grumbled. “I think I’ll just stay here.”

  
Robyn strode with confidence and a sly smirk towards the brothers. After she reached them, Robyn planted herself between the pair and walked with them. “We’re so proud of you, Team Leaders. Starting off where the victim lived.” She held her hands up in a mock-surrender to the two. “Don’t worry. We’re just gonna spectate...” Suddenly, her hand swung and popped Dean’s rear with a loud smack. Dean jumped, obviously not having suspected the action. He turned to see a cheeky smile on Robyn’s face as she broke away from the boys and returned to her friend at the Escalade. “Good luck, guys,” Robyn hollered over her shoulder.

  
Grace, who stared wide-eyed at the scene, ducked her head and gave a gentle shake that swayed her hair in front of her face. “I shouldn’t be surprised… It’s Robyn,” she muttered to herself before she looked up again. “Did you have to do that?” She asked her friend as Robyn drew closer. “I mean. Come on, Robyn! Really!?!” “What?” Robyn questioned with mock innocence. “You know what. Patting him on the butt?” Again, Grace shook her head. Robyn chuckled at Grace, who had turned away. “How else was I going to place the listening device on him? If I patted Sam, he would have just turned all different shades of red.” She turned to look over her shoulder wistfully and watched Dean and Sam as they approached a guy underneath a car. “Dang it,” Robyn murmured, “I should have put it on Sam.” Grace took in a large breath before she spoke, “I’m so proud of you, and the bad influence that you are.” Robyn turned to Grace with a grin that spread from ear to ear. “I know.”

  
After a moment of staring after the brothers, Robyn broke away from Grace and circled the Escalade. She climbed back into the driver’s side, and Grace heard the engine start. However, she didn’t immediately follow Robyn. She waited until Sam glanced back over his shoulder at her before she pushed away from the passenger side door and pulled it open to climb in. Grace didn’t bother with the seatbelt, nor did she turn to grab her sketchbook. Her eyes stayed firmly on the men in the distance and her ears pricked a little when she heard their voices float through the car over the stereo speakers. “So, is that part of your magic too?” Grace asked without looking to Robyn. “Well, yeah,” Robyn answered. “If they start to look for it, all they’ll find is a tiny piece of circuit board. But, I doubt they’d even bother looking.” Grace glanced out the window for a moment before she looked back to Robyn. “There’s no button to tint the windows, is there?” Robyn grinned ear to ear, “Nope.”

  
Both quieted as Dean’s voice filled the vehicle, “Your Fraternity Brothers. From Ohio. We’re new in town. Transfers. Looking for a place to stay.” Grace made a face and Robyn turned an incredulous glance at her friend. “Wow… That cover story sucks…” Stunned by the brothers’ plan, Robyn simply nodded. Grace frowned further as Sam and Dean were lead inside the fraternity house without a second thought from the student they’d spoken to. “Wow... It worked,” she mused aloud in quiet astonishment. “These kids are dumber than most.” “They must be blessed or something,” Robyn said in regards to the Winchester brothers. Something within Grace twitched. ‘Or lucky,’ she thought to herself. ‘Or maybe this is how Hunters actually get by. Who knows.’  
Dean’s voice pulled her back to reality as it rang over the stereo again. “He’s the artist. Things he can do with a brush. So... Murph. Is it true?” “What?” Asked a guy, who Grace assumed to be the ‘Murph’ in question. “We heard one of the guys around here got killed last week,” Dean prodded. There was a short pause before the one-word answer whispered through the car. “Yeah.” “What happened?” Sam asked.

  
Grace stopped listening and turned inward to reflect on the first creature she’d met the previous day. A hand subconsciously moved to her lip, where her forefinger roved over the last vestiges of a bruise and a crack in her bottom lip. Robyn had done something. What, she didn’t know even still. But, Robyn had healed most afflictions that the ‘Shifter had given her. It left her baffled. Astounded even! The thought that magic was real and that the boogie man existed and-

  
“-Heading to the Sorority House now…” Robyn’s announcement brought Grace to reality again and she blinked at her friend, who inserted the key into the ignition and began to pull away from the Fraternity house. “Who’s Lori Sorensen?” Dean’s voice floated through the stereo again. “...You missed a spot. Just down there on the back.” Grace blinked and glanced at Robyn with wide eyes and her mouth slightly opened. “Oh my God… It’s a male Robyn,” she mumbled to herself before giving a slight shudder. “I’m sorry, what?” Robyn asked without turning away from the road she focused on. “Nothing,” Grace replied quickly, glad when the frat boy’s voice sounded over the speakers. “Lori’s a freshman. She’s a local. Super hot. And get this... She’s a reverend’s daughter.” Grace grimaced. “Frat boys…”

 

 

When Robyn put the Escalade in park in front of the Sorority House, Grace gave a sigh and reached up to rub at her face. She did not look forward to this little trip. It was a hassle to come up with something that would be believable to these people and gave them free reign around the campus. Those thoughts were what circulated as she turned and slid from the car, her feet landed on the asphalt of the street. She reached out a hand to shut the door, but Robyn stepped around it and in front of Grace to shield herself from the view of the House down the road. “Give me a minute,” Robyn muttered as she closed her red-brown eyes and went quiet.

  
Grace watched in astonishment as her friend’s hair changed colors. It started at the roots, from its usual neon red-orange-yellow hues to neon purple and gold that braided itself down her back. Impressed, shocked, and amused all at the same time, Grace eyed her best friend. “You know. If you’re trying to fit in, you could have gone just blonde.” Robyn gasped in mock surprise and raised a hand to her lips, “Blasphemy!” Grace rolled her eyes to the sky, “Or just gold then.” “Are you kidding!?!” Robyn took a step away from Grace, which allowed her to shut the car door. “Gold is just blond with,” Robyn raised her hands with splayed out and waggled fingers, “Thparkles!” “That’s exactly…” Grace sighed, “Nevermind.” She shook her head at Robyn as she turned and lead the way to the Sorority House. “You never cease to amaze me, my friend.” “Thank you,” Robyn replied smugly as she followed after Grace towards the House.

  
The pair fell into silence as they approached the front door. Grace reached up with a fist and knocked on the door loudly. She shifted in place before she took a step back. As the door swung inward, Grace opened her mouth to come up with a story on the fly. However, Robyn interrupted her. “So, like, hi!” Grace blinked and turned a glance at Robyn in surprise. The mock valley-girl voice was a shock to the redhead. “We’re, like, your Sorority Sisters. From, like, Ohio. We’re new in town. Transfers. Looking for a place to stay.” Internally, Grace cringed at her friend’s use of the Winchester excuse. However, she found herself amazed when the girl on the other side of the threshold smiled and took a step back, “Come in! We’ve been waiting for you!”

  
The blonde who had answered the door then turned and waved at the stairs behind her. “Your room is upstairs! Let’s go!” Grace turned and gave a look to Robyn, but was not surprised when she saw her friend simply shrugged at her and followed after the college girl. All the way up the stairs and to the vacant room, the blonde babbled the entire way. “Oh, and this is your room! Two beds… Two desks… Two HUGE closets…” The blonde blinked as if she realized there was a piece missing to the puzzle. “Where’s your stuff?” Robyn murmured softly enough for just Grace to hear, “Oh… NOW she notices no baggage.” Grace piped up, “It’s all still in the car. We wanted to meet you guys first.” She paused enough to allow the girl a smile before she went on, “This is great. Thank you.” “Sure thing! If you need anything, Lori and Taylor are next door. They’re great with newbies!” The blonde turned and all but skipped away with hair that bounced about her shoulders. Grace waited until she was gone before she shook her head to herself and turned to Robyn with an odd look.

  
During the brief silence, Robyn heard a couple of voices that floated from the neighboring room. She glanced down the hall towards the sound. However, before she could take even a single step, Grace brushed by her with a nod of ‘I got this,’ and disappeared into the next room to introduce herself to their new neighbors. Robyn sighed with relief, “Oh, thank Goddess… If I had to valley one more time, I may have to, like, gag myself with a spoon.”  
While Grace was away, Robyn made a trip between the Escalade and the Sorority House. She grabbed her duffel bags of electronics and both Grace and her suitcases of clothes to set up shop. Once satisfied, she joined Grace to be introduced to their new neighbors.

 

 

A few hours later, Grace and Robyn stepped from the Escalade that had followed after another vehicle that the other pair of girls who’d lead the way to the church across town had taken to the funeral. Once parked, both sets of ladies met up. Lori and Taylor walked shoulder-to-shoulder while Grace followed close after them. Robyn took up the rear as she eyed the small church warily. Lori and Taylor even entered the church together as if one entity. Grace frowned to herself and glanced at Robyn with no real meaning behind the look. She then turned and continued over the threshold.

  
Taking two more steps in, the sound of the door that slammed shut behind her made Grace jump. As she turned in search of her friend, the creases between Grace’s brows deepened and she frowned some more as all she noticed was the closed door. She turned to Taylor, who had glanced back at her. “I’ll catch up, okay?” Taylor’s dark curls bobbed up and down as she nodded and turned away. Grace turned back to whisper through the door at her friend, “What happened!?!” “Who shut the damned door?” Robyn’s voice harshly whispered through the hardwood. “None of us. I thought you did,” replied Grace in a low tone.

  
There was a faint sound on the other side of the door, that Grace only described as fingers being snapped, which was followed by a sigh and a curse. “Well, it’s locked now,” Robyn grumbled through the door. “And my magic isn’t working on it. Go on ahead. I’ll keep an eye out for the Winchesters.” “Did you try, ‘Open sesame’,” the redhead asked, half-serious and half-sarcastic. “I hear that works sometimes.”  
On the other side of the door, Robyn rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work like that.” She paused and gave a thoughtful tilt of her head. After a second, she lifted her hand again and snapped her fingers as she simultaneously uttered under her breath, “Open sesame.” When there was no change in the lock, she called through the door again. “It’s locked,” she repeated to Grace.

  
“Alright. Call me if you need me,” Grace muttered as she heard the service start behind her. There was an affirmative sound from the other side of the door. Grace stood upright and turned to the nearby stairs. After she tiptoed up the rickety steps and onto the balcony, Grace sat in the chair closest to the exit. Just in case. She overlooked the service with watchful eyes and took note of each person’s facial expressions. The pastor, who had taken his place at the center of the stage, began to speak. “Our hearts go out to the family of the young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well. Because, I believe he died trying to protect my daughter.” Grace watched as Lori shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. She leaned forward in her own seat to zero in on Lori’s expressions.

  
Outside, Robyn leaned against the siding of the church with crossed arms and a smile that grew wider at the sight of the sleek black Impala that parked across the street. The brothers that stepped out and lumbered towards the church exchanged a glance between them. Both sets of green eyes turned identical expressions of surprise at Robyn. “Where’s Thing Two?” Dean asked sarcastically. His eyes momentarily turned away from her in search of the redheaded, troublesome partner. “Inside… With Lori and her friend… The door’s locked,” Robyn explained. Sam gave her a look as he reached by her and twisted the doorknob. The door swung open easily despite the heavy wood it was made of. Both brothers raised brows at Robyn before they stepped past her and into the church. Surprised, Robyn blinked at their backs before she turned to follow, only to watch as the door slammed shut in her face again. “Oh, COME ON!” She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “Give me a break!”  
The congregation inside went silent and turned to stare at the two men who had interrupted the service. After a beat of awkward staring, the reverend continued with his speech, which allowed the brothers to look around the room again. This time, however, they noticed Grace in the balcony that overhung the stage and looked down onto the crowd. She smiled cheekily and waved before she turned her attention elsewhere and ignored them for the rest of the service.  
After the service had come to a close, Grace meandered her way down the steps from the balcony and stepped into the crowd that moved as one to the lot outside. Robyn had found Lori and Taylor first and was idled nearby. When her friend finally met Grace’s gaze, a sort of relief seemed to pass over the woman. Grace approached slowly so Lori and Taylor wouldn’t immediately notice her returning presence. As she stepped up to Robyn, she joked softly as they both watched, “Turns out. The boys don’t like it when we’re ahead of them.” Robyn scoffed softly, “They better get used to it.”

  
“It’s just us girls. We’re gonna do tequila shots and watch Reality Bites,” Taylor urged Lori. Grace tilted her head in confusion, having missed a bit of the conversation. “Oh, joyous… I am in Hell,” Robyn muttered under her breath. Grace nudged her friend gently to silence the woman. “My dad makes dinner every Sunday night,” Lori explained as she looked around at her surroundings with a soft sigh. A small smile tugged at her lips. “Come on, Lori,” Taylor continued, “I know it’s been hard. But, you are allowed to have fun.” Lori rolled her eyes to the sky at Taylor before she shrugged, “I’ll try.” She stepped forward and hugged Taylor, neither one really noticed the other pair of ladies had meandered away from the gathering and into the crowd around them. Though, Grace and Robyn managed to remain within earshot.

  
Sam and Dean approached the brunette. “Are you Lori?” Sam’s inquiry was easy to pick out of the rest of the talk. The Winchester’s voice was louder than most, even in his ‘discreteness’ of it all. When Lori gave her, “yeah,” and a nod, Sam introduced Dean in the same fashion that he had when Grace and Robyn had met the pair back in Saint Louis. Dean smiled charmingly and waved his hello. “We just transferred here to the University,” Sam continued with a small smile. “We have two Sisters who just did as well,” Lori replied with a curious tilt of her head. Robyn, who stood nearby, caught the stare that Dean had thrown at her and Grace’s way. She returned it with an impish grin. Grace simply shrugged and gave a sideways smile at the man who looked her up and down. “I saw you inside,” Lori admitted sheepishly to Sam. Sam picked up the conversation, “We don’t wanna bother you. We just heard about what happened and…” Dean took a step forward and turned his attention to Lori again, “We wanted to say how sorry we were.” “I kind of know what you’re going through. I…” Sam stopped momentarily as if he recalled a bad memory, “I saw someone… Get hurt once. It’s something you don’t forget.” Sam went quiet and bowed his head for a moment. Grace, intrigued by the physical movements of the younger brother, studied him. She watched every motion he made. Every little movement his body gave. And, she saw that he told the truth. He truly felt remorse over Jess’ death. He also hadn’t recovered yet. Sam hadn’t coped with the loss.

  
Grace blinked once and turned her eyes to the Reverend that had stepped up beside Lori. “Dad, um, this is Sam and Dean,” Lori said, “They’re new students.” She looked to the Reverend then back at Sam and Dean again. Dean stretched his hand forward, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.” Dean turned on his most charming smile, “I must say, that was an inspiring sermon.” Reverend Sorensen seemed to visibly grow. His shoulders straightened up and he stood taller. “Thank you very much,” the Reverend said. “It’s so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord’s message.” The chuckle Dean gave caused Grace to study him as she had Sam. She watched his movements with a practiced gaze as he stepped forward and invited the Reverend to step away with him. Grace turned her eyes to Robyn, who met her gaze with a shrug. Even as Dean meandered away with the pastor, Robyn and Grace remained where they were, within earshot of Lori and Sam even as the pair began to move off. The ladies trailed a ways away from the two but stayed within hearing range as Sam asked the standard questions of Lori. Grace didn’t really listen. Her attention was shifted elsewhere. Grace watched the people as they passed by, the way that Sam and Lori moved. She just stopped listening and focused on what she saw. Robyn, however, listened with rapt attention. “Tell me, Lori. What are the police saying?” Sam glanced over Lori’s shoulder at Robyn before he turned to walk further away with the brunette. “Well, they don’t have a lot to go on,” Lori explained with a shrug. “I think they blame me for that.” “What do you mean?” Sam asked. Lori hesitated in her answer, “My story… I was so scared. I guess I was ‘seeing things.’” Sam and Lori came to a stop and Robyn halted Grace. The ladies’ eyes wandered around the area as if they weren’t listening. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t real,” Sam replied in a low tone.

  
Robyn turned to look at Grace and then followed the redhead’s line of sight when she noticed her friend wasn’t watching Sam or Lori. Her eyes rolled and she nudged Grace to draw the woman’s attention away from whom she had been watching - Dean - and back to the task at hand. Grace blinked then nodded at Robyn in understanding. It was time to go.

 

 

“So, you believe her?” Dean asked as he slid into a chair in the library. “I do,” Sam replied as he scooted his chair up to the table. “Yeah, I think she’s hot too,” Dean added with a smirk. Sam shook his head in disappointment at Dean, “No, man. There’s something in her eyes.” Grace slid into the chair next to Dean, unphased when the man jumped a little.

  
“He should have mentioned first that she heard scratching on the roof. Found the bloody body suspended upside down over the car,” she added in as she sipped on a latte that she had gotten from the cafe downstairs. Dean blinked once. His expression was one of confliction before he brushed away whatever thought had given him pause. “Wait,” he asked, “the body was suspended? That sounds like the -” “Yeah, we know,” Robyn plopped into the chair next to Sam. “The Hook Man legend. It’s one of the most famous urban legends ever.” The brothers exchanged a look before Dean went on, “You don’t think that we’re dealing with the Hook Man?” “Every urban legend has a source. A place where it all began,” Sam replied with a shrug. “Thank you for defining the word ‘source’ for us, Sam,” Grace mumbled snarkily under her breath.

  
Dean ignored her, “Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the invisible killer?” “Well, maybe the Hook Man isn’t a man at all? What if it’s some kind of spirit?” Sam asked as he gave Dean a look. He then turned that look to Robyn who tilted her head and nodded in acceptance of the theory before she turned to her bag. Robyn pulled out her laptop and placed it on the table. As she opened it and began to tap on the keyboard, images flashed across her screen. Sam scooted his chair away from the table and lumbered over to the librarian. He spoke quietly with her for a few moments before he returned and took his place again at the table. Grace leaned back in her chair and crossed one knee over the other. “What? No commentary this time, Veronica Mars?” Dean said to Grace as the librarian shuffled over to their table with several large boxes. The redhead raised a brow as she looked to Dean and replied calmly, “I want to hit you… It’s like… You’re this giant jackass pinata.” She then sipped at her coffee unphased. Robyn nearly choked on her laughter. Finally, after a moment, Dean’s lips stretched into a flirtatious smirk, “Not bad.”

  
“Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851,” the librarian said as she slammed down one dusty box after the other onto the table. “Uh… Thank you,” Sam said as the librarian returned to her desk. Dean’s hands reached up for the box closest to him. He peeled the lid from the box and sent dust towards Robyn, who waved her hand in front of her face and glared at him. She glanced briefly at her laptop before she looked at the boxes in front of them. Robyn looked to Sam, “Did you even bother to see if there was anything on the web?” Sam paused briefly to send a glare at her, then pulled the lid from the box and wafted it in her direction, which purposefully sent dust and dirt her way. “So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?” Dean grumbled to his brother as he rifled through a file. “Welcome to higher education,” Grace replied with a calm smile. She sipped loudly at her drink which earned her a glance from the corner of Dean’s eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Grace said sarcastically, “Am I supposed to be helping?” When his eyes narrowed at her, she gave an innocent smile. “Alright. You’re the one calling the shots.” Grace pulled the file from his hand and set her paper cup onto the table so she could rifle through the information.

 

 

A couple of hours passed where the only sound from the group was the occasional sniffle, the sound of Robyn’s fingers at her keyboard, and papers being shuffled around. Grace tossed another file to the side and onto a pile she deemed as ‘useless.’ She peered into a box and pulled the last file from within it with a pensive frown. Just as she sat back down in her chair, Robyn cleared her throat and grinned triumphantly, “Hey, look at this.” Robyn pointed a finger at her screen as she read aloud, “In 1862, a preacher named ‘Jacob Karns’ was arrested for murder. It looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that, in one night, he killed thirteen prostitutes.” She skimmed over the article on her screen, “Uh… Right here… ‘Some of the deceased were found in their bed… Sheets soaked with blood… Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh.’” Sam slid from his chair and moved to stand behind Robyn, As he peeked over her shoulder to follow along in her reading, his hand rested on her shoulder. Grace raised an eyebrow as she observed her friend’s face flush briefly before Robyn spotted Grace watching. Robyn mouthed, ‘What!?!’ as her friend simply grinned and shrugged.

  
“Where did you find this information? Nobody scans papers this old.” Robyn’s eyes widened as she looked to her friend then shifted slightly as her attention returned to the screen. “You… Uh… Just need to know where to look…” Grace turned her eyes back down to the file in her hand. It looked similar to what she imagined Robyn was reading off of. Dean, who noticed nothing of this, moved to join Sam behind Robyn’s chair. Grace scanned from her own file until she caught up to where they were reading from. “The murder weapon?” Grace added, “Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook.” She pulled the sheet from the folder, “And look where this all happened.” Dean looked up confused and moved around the table to look over the redhead’s shoulder in curiosity. She showed him the excerpt she had been reading from and Dean nodded in recognition, “Nine Mile Road.” “The same place where the frat boy was killed,” Sam surmised.

  
“Nice job, Nancy Drew,” Dean patted Grace on the back which caused her eyes to widen. Robyn chuckled softly. He then looked up to Sam, “Let’s go check it out.” The boys turned and left, the mess that had been scattered around the table had been completely forgotten. Grace made a face at Robyn who was snarkily waved her fingers at her. “He touuuuuched you… You liiiiiike him…” Grace widened her eyes as she waved her fingers back at Robyn, “Well, Sam touuuuched you tooooo… You wanna doooo him…” Robyn stuck out her tongue at Grace then slowly looked around the table. “And they left their crap for us to clean up…” The librarian from her desk shushed them and both ladies sat sheepishly in their respective chair.

  
Grace shrugged and gave a sort of a smile as she whispered, “But, I suppose leaving the legwork to them is… More fun for us.” She replaced the files back into the old, dusty boxes. “I think they did that on purpose,” Robyn added as she helped to clean up the mess. When they were done, the ladies placed the lids on the boxes and returned them to the librarian before they made their way out to the parking lot. Grace, with an impish smile, turned to Robyn, “They can look for Captain Hook while we watch over Wendy.”

 

 

The two women drove in silence to the Sorority House and were able to bypass the last remnants of the party in time to retire to their room in peace. Once they were changed into their sleeping gear, Robyn set up her laptop at the desk by the door and Grace sat in a chair near the window. She waited and watched for anything out of the ordinary with her sketchbook in her lap and a pencil in hand. As she glanced down at the page she had opened to, she continued to work on the sketch she’d almost finished.  
“Is everything okay?” Robyn’s voice called out. Confused at first, Grace glanced up from her paper to see her friend was not looking to her, but to Lori, who stood outside their door. The brunette smiled softly and nodded, “Goodnight.” “Night,” Grace and Robyn called in unison as Lori moved away from the door.

  
Robyn’s fingers tapped away at her laptop again and Grace stared at her friend from across the room with a sleepy gaze. “I plan on jogging in the morning,” she said to her friend. “And, like always, don’t wake me.” Robyn grumbled with a mischievous smile. Grace closed her sketchbook and stood from her chair. After she stretched, she placed the black-bound book on the chair and moved towards one of the bunks. “Night, Robyn.” She tossed the covers back and climbed in. She shifted about until she was comfortable enough to fall asleep.

 

 

In the morning, Robyn rolled over in her bed and pulled the covers up and over her head to shut out the light in the room. She didn’t hear Grace turn off the light in their room or close the door behind her when she left for her jog. Robyn didn’t even hear the sounds of students waking up and getting ready for classes. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have woken for them anyways. However, she did wake for the blood curdling, ear piercing scream from the next room.

  
Robyn sat upright. Her hands were closed around the handles of the two daggers she slept with under her pillow. “I’m awake!” She said sleepily, startled. “What!?! I’m here!” The last vestiges of her dream were being confused with her now-reality. She blinked as she looked around the room in confusion and considered going back to sleep. However, when the second scream sounded, louder than the first time, Robyn bolted from her bed and ran to the neighboring room.

  
Upon entering the room, her knives were at the ready and her eyes wildly darted about the room in search for the threat. Instead, she found a puddle of blood on the floor and a dead Taylor in her bed. She noted the slit at the girl’s throat for a moment before her eyes moved up to the wall beside the body. More blood shone in the early morning light as she read the words aloud to herself, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?” Beneath the words, Robyn noticed a large cross that had been carved into the wall and decorated with smaller crosses around it. “... Shit…” Robyn muttered as she slid her knives out of sight and reached for the cell phone in her pocket. She sent a text to Grace and then dialed ‘911’. While on the phone, she turned to Lori and whispered consolingly to the pale, shellshocked girl, “I’ve got you… Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

  
She lead Lori to the room that she and Grace shared and set her down on Grace’s bed while she talked to the operator. Within minutes, officers were everywhere and one lead Lori from the room to be checked out just as Grace entered their room. “Is she okay?” Robyn shrugged, “A little shaken up, but Taylor -” “We have a few questions, ladies,” an officer interrupted as he shuffled into the room. Grace moved to stand by Robyn, who shifted her stance ever so slightly. Grace looked over her friend before she caught the glint of the blades her friend had attempted to hide. She stepped forward to block the view of the weapons from the officer. “Which one of you found her?” Robyn raised her hand, “I ran in after I heard Lori scream.” “Did either of you see who did this?” Grace shook her head at the man. The questions went on and on until, finally, the officer passed them each a card and turned away with a look that said to stay put in case he’d be back.

  
Grace let out a breath and moved towards the window that overlooked the street below. “Robyn,” she called to her friend as her eyes followed the black Impala that drove by the scene. “We need to get into that room.” The redhead turned and picked up a journal from the desk where Robyn had set up her laptop. She rifled through to the third page titled, ‘What Would the Winchesters Do?’ After Grace made a note, she looked up at Robyn who had quirked a questioning eyebrow. Grace explained, “Sam and Dean are here. Chances are they’ll try to sneak in through a window.” Robyn gave it some thought before she nodded once and shrugged in agreement.

  
The purple-gold haired woman shuffled to the door and watched as three policemen left the room next door after it was taped off. She waved for Grace to follow. They slipped from their room to the crime scene unnoticed. Quickly, they took refuge in the walk-in closet just as an officer rounded the corner and returned to take note of the room again. Grace glanced over to the window with a smile to herself. She managed to slide it open without even so much as a sound just as the boy’s voices began to float up to her ears. “Oh, sorry,” came Dean’s voice first. “Be quiet,” came Sam’s stage whisper.

  
“You be quiet!”

 

“You be quiet!”

  
The argument quieted down and Grace stepped away from the window just as Sam came into view from the other side. He tilted his head and furrowed his brows at the sight of the two ladies already inside the room. Sam proceeded to stealthily climb in through the small window space and into the room. Behind him, Dean awkwardly tried to replicate Sam’s smooth maneuvers. Instead of stealth, however, the elder Winchester ended up falling through and caused a pile of Winchester limbs. Grace’s hand covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle a giggle for which they were all shushed by Robyn. “Do you want to get busted again!?!” The woman whispered harshly at the trio before she turned her attention back to the slight crack between the door and the frame.

  
A few moments passed before Robyn pushed the door open and lead the others into the crime scene that they had yet to actually see. Sam and Dean looked right at the writing on the wall, but Grace’s eyes turned to the blood-soaked sheets and the puddle on the floor with the realization that none of them had taken measures to keep from tampering with the crime scene. “‘Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?’ That’s right out of the legend,” Sam whispered to Dean. Robyn piped up, “And that’s four years of college right there, folks! He can read!” Grace snickered as Sam shot a glare over at the two ladies. Dean ignored them all with a stifled smile, “Yeah, that’s classic Hook Man all right.” He tapped his nose as he looked to Sam. “It’s definitely a spirit… Ozone.” “Oohhhhhh… Who’s a good boy and did his research? You are! That’s right! You are!” Robyn turned her condescending attitude at Dean with full force, which earned her an unreadable stare from Grace.

  
Dean leaned his head towards Grace as he glared at Robyn, “She’s a bitch in the morning.” Grace simply shrugged but didn’t deny his claim. “She hasn’t had coffee yet…” She added, “You eventually learn to ignore it.” Dean moved away from her and towards the window where he fingered one of the blinds out of the way to peer into to the street below. Sam, obviously ignored the present conversation, and continued the original topic as if no one had sidetracked, “Yeah, I’ve never smelled ozone this strong before.” Grace narrowed her eyes at Dean’s back, “Careful not to put your own prints all over the place.”

  
“Hey, come here,” Sam called to Dean. Dean turned and glanced at each person in the room before he meandered his way to stand by Sam. “Does that,” Sam pointed to the symbol carved on the wall, “Look familiar to you?” Dean and Robyn nodded. Grace inspected the symbol for a moment before she replied, “It’s the symbol from the article.” She turned to lead the way from the room. Grace knew Robyn had saved the file on her laptop. Once in their own room, she watched as Robyn moved ahead of her and sat down at the desk. After a moment, Robyn pulled up the image of the old arrest file on her laptop and pointed to the symbol that hung from the image of the hook. “There. It’s the same,” Grace said as she glanced to the brothers on the other side of Robyn’s chair. “Seems you were right. This is the ghost of Karns.”

  
“Alright. Let’s find the dude’s grave, salt, and burn the bones. Put him down.” Dean leaned forward, a hand on the back of Robyn’s chair, and began to scan the page for burial information. “Good luck with that,” Robyn muttered. She took in a breath and began to read the article. “After execution,” she summed up, “Jacob Karns was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery… In an unmarked grave.” Robyn looked up from her computer in time to see the annoyed looks that the brothers exchanged. “Super,” Dean grumbled.

  
“Okay, so we know it’s Jacob Karns. But we still don’t know where he’ll manifest next… Or why,” Sam said as he shuffled in place for a moment before he turned his eyes to the ceiling in thought. “I’ll take a wild guess as to about why. I think your little friend, Lori, has something to do with this.” Dean added as he made a face.

  
Grace and Robyn turned to look at one another, the second giving the first a broad grin before her expression went flat again and she turned to Dean. “Ya know… There is supposed to be a party tonight… Lori might go to… Relax.” Dean’s eyes took on a new gleam as he turned to face Robyn and then to Sam, “A party!?!” Grace nudged Robyn as she mouthed, ‘You are evil,’ to her friend silently. ‘I know,” Robyn mouthed back before she returned her attention to Dean again. “Yep… A kegger party, actually.” Dean smiled at Sam, “Oh, we should definitely check that out. Ya know… In case it shows up there.” Sam shook his head. “Dean, I seriously doubt it would show up at a party.” Grace shrugged, “Better to be safe than sorry, right?”

 

 

Dean meandered through the house and shuffled his way through the crowds of drunk college kids with a grin to any who looked at him. He made his way to Sam, who gave a little ‘hey’ once his brother was within earshot. “Man, you’ve been holding out on me,” Dean took a look around the room. “This college thing is awesome!” He winked and smiled at a girl who passed by but earned nothing more than a passing glance. “This wasn’t really my experience,” Sam refuted. “Let me guess… Libraries… Studying… Straight A’s?” Sam nodded once and pulled his lips down in a mock frown. “What a geek,” Dean said as he gave the room once last glance before he returned his attention to his brother.

  
“Alright. You do your homework?” Sam shuffled a little out of the way of a passerby and fumbled with the papers in his hands. “Yeah. It was bugging me, right?” Sam continued, “So, how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? So, I think I came up with something.” He lead Dean from the center of the room and unrolled the papers. Sam then held up a sheet for his brother to read. “1932. Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967. Seminarian held in hippie rampage,” Dean read aloud as they continued to walk through the house. Sam pointed at a line on the sheet of paper. “There’s a pattern here. Both cases, the suspect was a man of religion.” The pair came to a stop in the doorway with their backs to the frame. Sam continued, “... Who openly preached against immorality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the work of an invisible force. Killings carried out… Get this… With a sharp instrument.” Dean shook his head, “What’s the connection to Lori?” “A man of religion?” Sam pointed out, “Who openly preaches against immorality?” Sam watched Dean’s eyes widen in realization. Dean put in, “Except maybe this time, instead of saving the whole town, he’s just trying to save his only daughter.”

  
Dean looked to the floor. “Reverend Sorensen…” He took a breath before he looked up at his younger brother again, “You think he’s summoning the spirit?” “Maybe,” Sam hesitated and his eyes looked to their surrounding as he contemplated. “Or, you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?” Dean nodded, “Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend’s repressed emotions… Feeds off them… Yeah, okay.” Dean glanced to the hall on his left. “Without the reverend ever even knowing it,” solemnly thought Sam aloud as his eyes looked around the area. Dean turned back to Sam and took a breath. “Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight.” Sam nodded as Dean looked to his right for a moment.

  
“What about you?” Sam inquired. Dean turned his attention away again. This time to the players at a nearby pool table. Or… More specifically… The one closest to him as she lined up her shot. Her back to him and her red-orange curls fell over her shoulders. His eyes took in the view from behind her briefly of the way her jeans hugged her hips. He then turned his gaze up to the movement on the other side of the table and noticed Robyn as she leaned against her pool cue with a knowing smile that read ‘busted.’ Dean reluctantly turned his eyes away from the ladies and back to Sam, “I’m gonna go see if I can find that unmarked grave. I’ll… Uh… Take the ladies with me. I could use the labor.”

  
Sam watched as Dean pushed away from the wall and sauntered over to Grace. She stood up from the shot she’d just finished and turned to look at him. The redhead gave a shrug and Sam shook his head as he turned his back on the scene. “Who’s he kidding?” He grumbled under his breath.

 

 

Later that night, Grace walked between Dean and Robyn through the dark cemetery. Her eyes followed the light of the flashlight that Dean passed over this headstone and that and she adjusted her hold on the shovels on her shoulder. “You do this often, hm?” “Yeah,” Dean replied “It’s how you kill a ghost. Salt and burn the bones.” “Wonderful. Grave desecration.” Grace felt a nudge at her side and she turned to Robyn who held her little PalmPilot up for her to see the screen. Robyn nodded at a headstone nearby, and Grace blinked once. “Here.” She called to Dean before she broke away from the group and stood next to the grave with the cross symbols on it. Dean held a hand out for one of the shovels she’d been carrying and Grace passed it to him without a second thought. Her own shovel, however, she stuck into the ground so she could lean on the handle. Robyn did the same on her left, and, together, the ladies watched as Dean began to dig at the grave.

  
After a while of Dean digging, the man seemed to realize that he’d been going at it alone and he threw the tip of the shovel into the ground. As he leaned against the handle for a moment, he turned his eyes up from where he’d dug his hole to see the pair of ladies still watching him. Both smiled their own smiles. “Think you can help?” He asked sarcastically. Both shook their head. “Oh, no,” Grace said. “You’re doing fine,” Robyn added. Her smile turned impish. “Need me to hold that shirt for you?” Dean shook his head and picked up his shovel again. “That’s it,” he grumbled to himself. “Next time. I get to watch the cute girl’s house. And Sam can be eye candy to the groupies.” A pout formed on Grace’s face, “Oh, that’s not as fun.” Robyn simply shrugged at her friend, “One beefcake… Another beefcake… Meh… Meat is meat…” Grace gave her friend a look before she turned to watch Dean some more. The smile returned to Grace’s face all the same.

  
After a while, Dean’s shovel made a thunk sound against what Grace inferred to be the grave. He swung the shovel down a few more times until, finally, the wood broke and revealed the remains of Jacob Karns. “Why… Hello, Preacher,” Dean mumbled in satisfaction. He turned up to Grace and Robyn and passed his shovel to one while the other passed down his duffel bag. He pulled out a few items he needed, passed the bag back up, and then climbed out of the hole. From the edge of the grave, he poured salt and lighter fluid over the bones and the casket. “Goodbye, Preacher,” he mumbled as he struck a match and let it fall into the grave.

  
The trio watched as the bones burned for a few minutes until Dean slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Robyn grinned wickedly as she pointed out, “You have your cellphone… On vibrate… In your pocket…” She eyed his pants for a moment before she met his gaze and winked, “Kinky.” Dean ignored her as he turned away with the phone in his hand. He eyed the Caller ID for a moment before he flipped open the device and spoke in hushed tones into the phone. Grace made a face at Robyn who only shrugged and grinned some more.

  
“Sam’s at the hospital with Lori and her dad,” Dean said as he turned around to face the pair again and snapped the phone shut. “The Hook Man attacked again.” The ladies looked at the grave, then back to Dean, and exchanged confused looks. “Well… Shit,” grumbled Robyn.

 

 

Dean, Grace, and Robyn hurried down the hallway of the hospital until they finally caught sight of Sam. Dean’s pace quickened, but the two ladies slowed when they noticed no harm had come to Sam. That, and there were officers ready to stop them. Just as suspected, when Dean was close enough, two sheriffs held their hands out to stop him from going any further. “No. It’s alright,” he explained. “We’re with him. He’s my brother.” Dean motioned to Sam to let the officers know who he talked about. He then waved to Sam, “Hey! Brother!” When Sam and a third sheriff turned to look, and Dean was allowed to pass. The ladies, however, were barred from following along. “Sorry,” an officer explained, “Only family can go through.”

  
Grace nodded in understanding but was surprised when the brothers turned and began to walk back to her and Robyn. They mumbled to each other as they came within earshot of the ladies. “You saw him?” Dean asked Sam incredulously. “Damn right. Why didn’t you torch the bones?” Sam responded impatiently. “We did,” Grace defended before she pursed her lips together. “You sure it’s the spirit of Jacob Karns?” Robyn asked. “It sure as Hell looked like him,” Sam gave an irritated shrug. “And that’s not all. I don’t think the spirit is latching onto the Reverend.” “Well, yeah. The guy wouldn’t send the Hook Man after himself,” Dean replied as if Sam had said the most obvious thing on the planet.

  
“I think it’s latching onto Lori…” Sam took in a breath and continued in a hurried tone. “Last night, she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman.” “So what?” Dean urged. “So… She’s upset about it… She’s upset about the immorality of it… She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished.” “Okay, so she’s conflicted,” Dean assessed. “And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching onto the repressed emotions and maybe he’s doing the punishing for her, huh?” Grace cut in, “That sounds about right… Rich comes on too strong… Taylor tries to make her into a party girl… Dad has an affair…” She ticked the reasons off on her fingers. “Remind me not to piss this girl off,” Dean grumbled before he returned back on track. “But we burned those bones. I buried them in salt. Why didn’t that stop him?” “You must have missed something,” Sam replied. “No, we burned everything in that coffin,” Dean countered. “Did you get the hook?” “... The… Hook…?” Robyn slapped her forehead with her palm, “I didn’t even think to look for that. I was too mesmerized by the fire…” She winked at Dean impishly. Grace blinked and glared at her friend. “I did… It wasn’t there.” “Well, it was the murder weapon. And, in a way, it was a part of him,” Sam explained which made the entire thing make so much more sense to Grace. “So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power,” Dean surmised. “So, we find the hook,” Grace began. “We stop the Hook Man,” Dean and Sam finished in unison with matching smiles.

 

 

Back at the library, Dean rifled through the paperwork and Robyn tapped away at her laptop. Sam rummaged through another box of files while Grace sat back in her chair. She rolled her shoulders before she sipped at another cup of coffee and let her eyes stare blankly at the table in front of her. Her brain was no longer able to process words on paper. Dean shifted in his chair and sat forward over whatever he was looking at, “Here’s something…. I think… Logbook… Iowa State Penitentiary.” Sam looked up from his papers and Grace blinked once to focus on the present to hear Dean as he read from the page he stared at, “Karns, Jacob… Personal effects… Disposition thereof.” Sam inquired, “Does it mention the hook?” “Yeah… Maybe,...” Dean pressed his finger to the paper and continued reading, “‘Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner’s house of worship… Saint Barnabas Church.’” “Isn’t that where Lori’s dad gives his sermons?” Grace added to the conversation. “Yeah,” Sam replied. Robyn added in, “Isn’t that also where the Reverend and Lori live?” “Maybe that’s why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverends’ daughters for the past two hundred years,” Dean mumbled to himself. Sam frowned, “Yeah, but if the hook were at the church or Lori’s house, don’t you think someone might have seen it? I mean… A bloodstained, silver-handled hook?”

  
Robyn typed furiously at her laptop again. She hadn’t heard Dean say to check the church records but didn’t need his express direction to say so. Her eyes flitted around the screen and she continued to retype her search and reread articles until, finally, she glanced up. “Bingo.” The others turned their attention to Robyn. She read the article she had found. “‘Saint Barnabas donations… 1862… Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary… Reforged.’ … Shit… They melted it down… Made it into something else.” Sam stood up abruptly, “We need to head back to that church.”

 

 

“Alright,” Dean began as the group met between the two vehicles that parked outside of the church. “We can’t take any chances. Anything silver goes into the fire.” “I agree. So, Lori’s still at the hospital. We’ll have to break in,” Sam said with a look around the group. “Alright, take your pick,” Dean asked around at each person in turn. His eyes, however, ended on Sam. “Robyn and Grace take the house. Dean and I will take the church,” Sam finally commanded.

  
The pairs broke away and the ladies moved for the house. As Grace and Robyn stepped to the door, Robyn fixated her eyes on the lock of the door and lifted her hand. She snapped her fingers, and there was a loud click noise before the door swung inward of its own accord. “Nice,” Grace commented before she crossed the threshold and began to ransack the house. The pair threw any and all silver items into a pillowcase that Robyn had procured. After only a few minutes, the duo headed out again.

  
Grace ran up the steps of the church with the pillowcase of silver items thrown over her shoulder. She glanced back once at Robyn; but decided if her friend wanted to enter, she would do so of her own accord. Once inside the church, Grace sprinted through and down the stairs to the basement. She came to a standstill next to Sam. “We grabbed everything that even looked silver,” Grace said as she passed the bag to Dean. “Better safe than sorry,” he replied nonchalantly as he began to throw items into the firepit in front of them. One by one, each person threw items into the fire. Grace paused briefly to read a text from Robyn. She blinked once and turned her eyes to the brothers as they each heard footsteps upstairs. “It’s Lori,” she told them. “I’ll go check on her,” Sam offered and left the room. Grace and Dean shared a look before Grace picked up silver items again and threw them into the fire by twos.

  
“So, Hunters, huh?” Dean asked as he threw in an offering plate. “How long?” Grace shrugged as she threw in a goblet. “Not long. Robyn’s known about these things longer than I have. She knows how to deal with monsters that I always thought were bedtime stories.” She threw another goblet into the fire. “It’s… Different.” Dean stood upright and turned a glance to her, “What? You’re not going to ask how long we’ve been at it?” “I don’t have to,” she confessed as she threw in another silver item. “It’s in the way you walk. The way you talk. It’s the look in your eyes.” She finally stood upright and met him gaze for gaze. “All your lives, right? Raised into this life?” Dean nodded with an expression that said he was impressed. “What? You going to be a cop or something when you grow up?” He smirked as he threw more items into the fire. Grace opened her mouth to respond but gave pause when she heard a noise upstairs that didn’t quite fit the idea that Sam would be checking on Lori.

  
Steps thundered on the hardwood floor above and then a sudden breaking of glass followed a shout. Grace looked to Dean, “Go! I’ve got this.” The man took off before she even finished the sentence. She continued to throw the silver into the fire. This time with more hurried motions. Grace tossed in the last of the silver into the pit before she slammed the door close. She then followed Dean’s steps up the stairs.

  
Grace emerged from the basement and her ears pricked with the sound of voices in another room of the church. Quickly, she ran after the group and hoped she didn’t get lost. As she rounded a corner, she saw Lori sitting on the floor with Sam’s head in her lap. Dean, shotgun in hand, was in the doorway to an office. She saw the wound on Sam’s shoulder and that his arm bled profusely. Her eyes widened as Sam looked up at Lori. “Your necklace. Where did you get it?” He demanded of the brunette. “My father gave it to me,” she replied. Grace’s eyes turned down to the chain around Lori’s neck and realized that it was likely silver. She frowned. “Where’d your dad -,” Dean began. “Is it silver!?!” Grace shouted over Dean. “Yes!” Lori exclaimed. Sam reached up and yanked the chain from her neck. As he tossed it to Dean, he laid back down on the floor with bated breaths. Dean tossed him the shotgun. Grace threw her hands in the air as Dean turned and nearly ran into her. She backed into the wall to let him pass then followed after him, and barely missed the sudden swipe from the ghost as she passed it by.

  
“Go!” Grace yelled at Dean as she caught up with him. “I’m going!” He yelled back at her as he thundered down the basement stairs and threw open the door to the firepit. He chunked the chain into the smoldering flames. Grace watched as the charm fell off the chain to the burning logs and ashes. As it melted down, the redhead turned and headed back up the stairs and yelled from the basement door to Sam, “Are we good!?!” “Yeah,” Sam’s hoarse reply sounded far closer than she’d thought it would be. “We’re fine,” he finished as he stepped into view around the corner.

 

 

Robyn tossed the back door to the Escalade shut and dusted her hands on her pants, glad that her hair could be as wild as she wanted it again without blowing their cover. She turned and watched as paramedics dressed Sam’s wounds and Dean answered whatever questions the sheriff had for him. She gave a small sigh of relief as the onlooking crowd dispersed. Grace watched Dean as he crossed the lot and climbed into the Impala. Their gazes met and she gave him a shrug from where she stood before she turned and climbed into the passenger seat of the already packed Escalade.

  
She pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw the symbol she’d seen on the hook and she took little notes of this adventure around the page as well. When Robyn finally climbed into the driver’s seat, Grace noted a small frown on her friend’s face and she raised a brow. Her friend’s expression said she didn’t want to talk about it. So, Grace leaned forward and turned up the music that began to play as Robyn turned the key in the ignition.

  
The ladies got comfortable for the next drive. Grace doodled in her sketchbook that she was slowly turning into her Hunter’s Journal while Robyn hummed along to the music that went through a shuffled playlist. And, just like before, the pair trailed after the Impala. This time, they didn’t even bother to be discreet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As planned, this story will follow the timeline of the Series, and the next chapter will be placed between jobs. I look forward to hearing from the readers, and writing more chapters for these characters.


	3. Two Moons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Robyn gets a call from some old friends, the crew find themselves on the hunt for some remains that seemed to have disappeared. Meanwhile, a few relationships seem to be growing.

Robyn steered the Escalade onto the road and trailed after the Impala from a gas station. As time passed, so did the various signs for towns in Kansas, all of which helped paint a road map for Grace in her mind. The pair had gone silent some time ago, and Grace had pulled out one of Robyn’s many mythological creatures books and had read for a good chunk of the journey. It was in this silence that Robyn’s cell phone rang in a tribal tune. The woman frowned and flipped open the device with a foreign greeting, “Talofa?” Grace stared at Robyn as the new language fell fluently from her friend’s lips. Her friend ignored her as she took the next exit off the highway and parked at a diner just off the highway. “Le a le ituaiga o faafitauli?... Afaina. Afaina. Faifailemu. Fea oe?” Robyn glanced to her redheaded friend and smiled sheepishly. “Afaina. O le a ou i ai iina le taimi. Ou aumaia uo ua ou faalagolago... Afaina. La faaeteete, Elder... O le onosai o le ki lea.” Grace blinked as Robyn flipped her phone closed and sighed softly. “Ummm… We have a detour to make.” Grace gave a curious turn of her head, but said nothing.

As the Impala pulled up beside the Escalade, Robyn grabbed her laptop bag from the backseat and slid out of the vehicle. Grace followed suit with a slight look of confusion. As the brothers exited the black Impala, Robyn smiled brightly and asked, “Who’s up for lunch?” She then turned and headed into the diner. After she requested a booth in the back, Robyn pulled out her laptop and began to type.

They placed their order with the waitress as Robyn pulled up various different current news articles. She sweared softly then looked to the group. “Okay… So… I have some… Friends… Of the family… That are in trouble.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she turned the laptop screen around to show the various different articles from around and in El Dorado, Kansas. The articles varied in topics from missing children to people being attacked by assailants who are unable to be identified. A couple of the articles even mentioned bodies being found with bones missing.

Sam and Dean looked at the articles, then to Robyn. Dean quirked an eyebrow, “And, what exactly are we looking at?” Robyn chewed on her lower lip some more. “Okay, so they’re not exactly human… But they aren’t monsters either…” Dean frowned, “There’s not exactly another category in my book.” Robyn sighed, “Yeeeeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Technically, not all things that go bump in the night are bad…” She looked to the group hopefully, “Maybe they’re just knocking to say ‘hello’?” Dean scoffed, “Right. And next you’re gonna tell us not all witches are evil.” Robyn’s face turned red with anger as she slammed her laptop closed. “Look, if you’re too much of a dickwad Hunter to help, I can do this on my own.”

Sam and Dean looked at the articles, then to Robyn. Dean quirked an eyebrow, “And, what exactly are we looking at?” Robyn chewed on her lower lip some more. “Okay, so they’re not exactly human… But they aren’t monsters either…” Dean frowned, “There’s not exactly another category in my book.” Robyn sighed, “Yeeeeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Technically, not all things that go bump in the night are bad…” She looked to the group hopefully, “Maybe they’re just knocking to say ‘hello’?” Dean scoffed, “Right. And next you’re gonna tell us not all witches are evil.” Robyn’s face turned red with anger as she slammed her laptop closed. “Look, if you’re too much of a dickwad Hunter to help, I can do this on my own.”

She started to slide from the table before Sam took ahold of one arm and Grace the other. Sam gently pulled her back to her seat while Grace shifted around her friend and blocked her into the booth. “My brother can be a jerk at times… Don’t listen to him,” Sam said as he smiled apologetically. Robyn looked between Sam and Grace before she drew in a deep breath. “I apologize. Very few things I’m really sensitive about…” Robyn turned a harsh glare at Dean, “But, for the record… I happen to be a practicing Wiccan.” “Oh, great… Witches Union Member,” Dean responded snarkily. “Dean. Shut up.” Sam said. “Actually, it’s called a ‘Coven,’” Robyn corrected. “And don’t stereotype just because of bad publicity.” Sam nodded encouragingly to Robyn, “You were saying friends were in trouble?”

Robyn glared at Dean once more before she nodded. She opened the laptop again and began to type, “Well… Speaking of bad publicity… An Elder from a local Osage tribe contacted me. She mentioned that Grandmother spoke to her in a dream; and that the trouble was tribe related.” The blank looks she received caused her to take a deep breath. “Osage were indigenous to the El Dorado area prior to settlers forcibly taking over their territory,” Robyn explained. “Whatever is causing all these recent issues are doing it because… Well, the best I can explain is, because the spirits are angry.” Dean stared incredulously at Robyn, “Are you seriously defending vengeful spirits?” Robyn frowned, “No, not the ghost spirits you mean… I’m defending guardian spirits… They’re pissed and, considering the tribe, they probably have a good reason.”  
Sam blinked, confused, “Wait… What do you mean her Grandmother spoke to her?” Sheepishly, Robyn shook her head, “The Elder is also a DreamWeaver Shaman. She sometimes gets prophecies and sometimes messages from Grandmother Spider.” Dean rolled his eyes, “So, what? Because the tribe’s guardians are ticked, we gotta go scalp some people?” Grace shook her head back and forth at the man, and Robyn sighed and looked to Dean, “Don’t make me hex intelligence into you… You’ve got so much going for you with just your looks.” As she pulled back up the articles, she turned the laptop back around and pointed to the ones of the children missing, “The fact that no children bodies have been found is a good sign. It means whoever these spirits are, they respect the innocent.”

Sam frowned softly, “So, you think the others had something to do with it?” Robyn shook her head, “I don’t know. They could have… Or they could just be considered fair game since they are no longer ‘innocent.’” Grace glanced at Sam out of the corner of her eyes and gave him a brief smile of appreciation before she turned to Robyn and tilted her head at her friend. “None of the victims were from the family - uh, Coven, were they?” She asked. Dean shifted in his seat and Grace turned a stare at him. His partially parted lips pulled down into a deeper frown, but nonetheless, he pressed them together and remained silent. Robyn shook her head, “No. I believe, right now, they’re in Wyoming.” A sad look crossed Robyn’s face briefly before she shook her head. “Anyhow, the corpses are still in the morgue at the Butler County Sheriff Department… If SOME Agents were to go take a look… Grace and I will secure a base of operations.” Grace turned a crooked smile at Dean, “She means you two geniuses.”

 

As the group split into separate vehicles, Robyn drove Grace down the road towards El Dorado, Kansas. After a few hours, she pulled up to a Bed and Breakfast hotel. With a shrug, she looked to Grace, “It’s not the Hilton, but it’s not conspicuous either.” Grace shrugged a shoulder, “Am I complaining?” As she stepped out of the car, Robyn walked with Grace through the doors to where an elderly, white-haired woman was smiled politely behind the desk. “Hi,” Robyn smiled as she folded her hands on the countertop just behind the monitor on the desk, “I believe there’s a reservation for two adjoining rooms for Locksley?” The woman smiled and began to look on her computer. “Ah, yes. Two twins in each, right?” Robyn nodded, “Yes, we’ll need four cards though.” “Of course,” the woman replied as she pulled out a machine and prepped the magnetic strip on each card. “Your reservation is for a week with all the amenities. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.” Robyn nodded again. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to pay in cash in advance?” “Of course, dear. No trouble at all.” Robyn pulled her wallet out of her coat pocket and placed a few hundred dollar bills on the counter. “Is that enough?” As she slid the cash into a drawer, the woman nodded, “Of course, dear. If there’s any amount to be refunded, I will let you know when you check out. Your rooms are on the second floor. The elevators are at the end of the hallway to the left.” Robyn nodded and took the cards the woman handed to her. As she turned, Robyn looked to Grace, “Should we get our things?”

 

Back at the Escalade, Robyn pulled out her suitcase and her electronics duffel bag. She slung her bag over one shoulder, turned and made sure Grace had her things before she locked the car and sauntered back towards the hotel. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone to text the brothers the location of “base camp.” Robyn chuckled as she looked to Grace, “I don’t know if the boys will be able to handle the better accommodations… No fighting for bedspace with roaches and all.” Grace raised a brow at Robyn and gave a small smile, “You kidding? They probably won’t even notice.”

 

A few hours passed before there was a knock on the ladies’ room door. Robyn looked through the peephole, grinned, unlatched the door, and opened it for Dean and Sam who were dressed in suits. “How’d it go?” She inquired as she moved to the table where her laptop was set up. Sam pulled out a notepad as he entered and looked down at the notes he had made while Dean closed the door behind them. “All the corpses had a bone cleanly removed from their body… Like beyond surgical precision… And, according to the M.E., it looks as though whoever or whatever is doing it is, basically, rebuilding a skeletal body slowly… Starting from the head and working downward.” Dean flopped down on the empty bed and folded his hands behind his head as he added, “The children that were kidnapped were from some of the people who were attacked… And those that we could talk to said their attackers… Were two foot tall, little people… With wings… Hey, you’re paying for these rooms, right?” Robyn rolled her eyes and nodded, “Yes, they’re covered.” She continued to work on her laptop.

After a few moments, she stopped typing and chewed on her lower lip, “That narrowed down the search… Well… Shit…” She glanced briefly to Dean as he shifted around and got comfortable. “From what I’ve been able to figure out, the winged, little people are the Wild People… Prankster spirits that can be provoked to the next level. Chances are we won’t find the children till we find why they’re upset.” Sam moved to look over Robyn’s shoulder and at her screen, “So, why do they kidnap the children?” Robyn typed some more before she answered, “Probably to keep them out of the harm’s way from the retaliation.”

Robyn smiled appreciatively as she reached beside her computer and picked up two cards. “Oh, these are to your room next door. We have an adjoining door. And just because I’m payin’ for it doesn’t mean go nuts on the porn… Dean.” Dean sat up and splayed out his arms, “What!?! It’s not like that’s all I watch.” Robyn muttered, “You’d surprise me… The last few motels we were in the walls were thin… Too thin.” Sam took the cards and moved from the table to nudge his brother, “C’mon. Let’s go get set up.” “We’ll open the adjoining door in case y’all need anything,” Robyn suggested. The brothers left, leaving Grace and Robyn in peace. After a beat, Grace pushed her chair away from the little table and moved to sit on one of the twin sized beds, “While you do that, I’m going to do some more reading.”

 

 

Once the guys had moved their gear to the adjoining room, Sam brought his laptop into the ladies’ room and sat down beside Robyn. Together, they began to research any connection they could find between El Dorado and the Osage tribe. A few hours later, Sam exclaimed, “I think I found something… It looks like in Belle Vista Cemetery… A few weeks ago, some bones were found on a site where a mausoleum was to be built. The family of the mausoleum - the Tylers - had the bones removed to be identified since there was no grave marker, but were claimed to be lost in transit.” Robyn nodded, “If the bones were from the tribe, that’d be a good reason for the Wild People to be upset… Especially if it's been awhile since they were removed. And if no one’s bothered to investigate...” She glanced at her watch, “We can head out in the morning to do some footwork. That’ll give us some time to… Prep our gear.”

Sam nodded then glanced to the adjoining doorway where Dean leaned against the doorframe. He nodded his head towards Grace, who sat on her bed engrossed in a book on mythologies, then winked to Sam. Sam sighed and looked to Robyn, “How about we go and pick up something for dinner and maybe some beers…” “And some pie,” Dean interjected. Robyn blinked in mid-keystroke and looked to Sam, then to Dean, who smiled charmingly. “Okay… Sure,” she said. “I’ll drive.” She picked up her keys and headed towards the door. “Anything else while we’re out?” Sam asked. Grace didn’t even look up from her book, and Robyn chuckled, “I know what she prefers.”

 

Sam and Robyn headed out of the room and locked the door behind them. They both nodded politely to the elderly woman at the desk before they headed out and got into the Escalade. As Robyn began to drive, Sam turned down the radio. “So,” he said as he looked to Robyn. “You’re Wiccan.” “Yup,” she replied. “So, what all does that mean?” He asked. Robyn glanced briefly at him then shrugged as she returned her attention back to the road, “It means every full moon, we slap a virgin onto the altar and sacrifice her to our heathen gods as we rub her blood all over our bodies and dance around naked under the full moon light.” She noticed the widening of Sam’s eyes through her peripheral vision and almost bust out laughing. “Seriously!?! You don’t understand Wiccans?” Robyn asked, chuckling. Sam realized he was being teased and sighed, “No… It’s not something I really got indepth with.” As she shrugged again, Robyn smiled softly, “It’s basically a belief of a God and / or Goddess and a respect for the natural energies of the things around us… Usually does include a monthly ritual… But, no sacrificing… Unless you include some wine or juice and baked goods as a sacrifice.” “So, you believe there’s a God?” Sam asked. Robyn nodded, “Oh, I know there is. Granted, probably not the God you’re thinking of. Some Wiccans do dedicate themselves to either one or more specific deity. Both mine came to me in a vision.” “Both?” He inquired. She nodded again, “I believe there’s too much power out there for just one being to be responsible for… There’s a reason there’s so many pantheons that share similarly typed deities.” Sam turned his attention to the road as he took in the information. “So, have you dedicated yourself?” Robyn smiled softly as she nodded, “Yep… When the Gods come a-knockin’, I’m not exactly one to tell them ‘no’… I follow the Holly King, which is a Summer Nature Deity… And Sekhmet… Goddess of Fire… Disease… Destruction… Healing… Doctors… And so on.” Sam shook his head, “You’re one complex woman, Robyn.” Her grin broadened as she pulled into the parking lot of a pizzeria. “You have no idea.”

 

 

Grace was oblivious to the room, empty except for her and Dean. She was simply too absorbed with the script on the faded yellow pages from the book in her lap to notice any changes around her. Her lips pursed as she turned a page. Dean smiled softly as he studied her. After a while, he moved further into the room. Her legs crossed at the ankles and she barely noticed the figure standing over her, watching. “So,” Dean began, “just the two of us.” Grace heard Dean, but did not look up from the book, “Is it?” He leaned casually against the wall beside her bed and smiled debonairly. “You know… Robyn told me a few things,” he continued with mischievous glints in his eyes, “Some… Interesting things.”

Finally, Grace looked up from her book to meet the candy apple green gaze that stared at her. “Robyn is interesting on her own,” Grace replied nonchalantly, “Sometimes when she talks, I don’t understand a word she says.” Dean ignored her response, “Well… She told me that you think that I have… Well, a nice set of… ‘Assets’… As she puts it. Is that true?” Grace moved off the other side of the bed and turned her back to Dean as she bent and replaced the book back into Robyn’s suitcase. She shrugged and straightened as she withdrew another book and seemed to glance at it’s summary on the back cover. “You have guns and skills that are handy in a hunt,” she admitted as she kept her back to Dean. “Sometimes you forget about the thing between your ears. But, that’s why we’re here. To remind you both to use it.”

Dean made a face as he watched her move away; he hadn’t expected that response. After a few moments of silence, he grinned and moved stealthily around the bed to stand behind Grace. She didn’t hear his approach, but felt the heat from his body as soon as he was behind her. “So… You like my guns, huh?” He whispered into her ear. His lips gently teased along the ear’s ridge. Grace’s heart fluttered and her body temperature rose a few degrees. Slowly, she turned and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. Not answering him, she moved around him and sat back down on the edge of the bed as she pretended to ignore the question. Dean stared at her in frustration. In his mind, she didn’t really seem to be catching what he was throwing at her. And, really, it was a first for him.

The elder Winchester sighed softly and sauntered over to the windows of the motel. He extended an index finger and bent one of the panels of the blinds down, allowing a bit of light from the outside world to filter into the room and across his face. His eyes scanned the clouded and dull skies above. “The skies are gray today,” he sighed as he released the blind and turned to look to Grace again. “Now you’re giving weather reports, Dean? That’s a rather bland topic,” Grace mumbled as she pretended to read her book. “It’s probably because all of the blue is in your eyes,” Dean replied with a devilish grin. A pause hung heavy in the air between the pair before Grace lifted her head and met Dean’s gaze for the second time. Their stares locked for a while as she contemplated her response choices and the situation she was in. However, the longer they stared, the more speechless she became.

“But you know what?” Dean continued as he crossed the room again. “The life of a Hunter is a dangerous one. You never know when we’ll take our last breath. So, I like to… Uh… Live in the moment.” He stopped beside the bed and stared down at her with a flirtatious smirk. Grace blinked in surprise then eyed him warily, “Wait… Are you… Are you giving me the ‘last day on earth’ speech...?” Each word was enunciated long and slow in her disbelief. Dean didn’t respond with words, however. Instead, he sheepishly glanced away for a brief moment before he looked back to her with a gleam of awkwardness that flashed across his eyes. “You… Can’t be serious,” Grace asked incredulously. Dean simply shrugged with a slight tick in his smirk, “Hey, it’s a dangerous business. Hunting monsters. Fighting evil.”

Grace’s lips twitched in a slight smile as she closed her book and lowered it to her lap. She turned slightly to face the man that now towered over her. “You’ve got to work on those lines,” she egged on. “They’re horrendous… Sloppy… Meant for bars, shady motels, and drunk women.” She glanced around at the room for a moment before she met his steady gaze again. “Though, I give you kudos on the shady motel thing.” A new sort of silence stretched on where the pair simply stared at one another. Dean shifted in place a few times as his lips twitched. His mind ran through his arsenal of cheesy lines. Grace, however, never moved from where she sat.

Finally, Grace sighed softly, moved the book to the bed, and then slowly rose to stand in front of Dean. “So,” she said as she smiled coyly, “Are you going to kiss me? Or am I going to have to lie to my diary?” Dean blinked, “You have a diary?” Deflated, Grace sighed and shook her head, “You're impossible.” She turned to move around him with the intention of leaving the room. However, Dean moved to block her escape.

He was close enough that her chest nearly touched his. When she looked up, her nose almost grazed the material of his shirt. The smile Grace saw on his face wasn’t the cocky, arrogant smile he normally had. Instead, she saw that his lips were quirked in a lopsided, almost playful smile that let his teeth glimmer at her. When she was finally able to pull her gaze from his mouth, her eyes met his head on and the air in her lungs left her as if she’d been sucker punched.  
The hand that slowly rose up and cupped her cheek was gentle, warm, and tender despite the callouses that could have scraped against her skin. His thumb brushed her bottom lip in a way that somehow seemed to ask her permission. Slowly, he lowered his head and his lips teased hers in a tenderness she was pleasantly surprised to feel. His other arm slowly wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Grace felt that his invitation was not overbearing or pushy or in any way intrusive. He was warm, welcoming, gentle, and... And… Thoughts fled from her brain as he guided her slowly backwards until the back of her knees touched the edge of the bed and forced her to sit. Her left hand reached up and brushed against the edge of his profile. She traced his jawline with her fingers and then circled her hand to the back of his neck.

She pulled him even closer as he planted one knee to her side and lowered her onto her back on the mattress. He continued to taste at her lips. She pulled away softly, just far enough to touch her nose to his and look him in the eyes. Grace hesitated to let herself get the full sense of how she lay, how Dean now had her pinned to the bed with the most attractive expression she had ever seen on a man before. His eyes flickered to her lips as she bit her bottom lip to fight back a smile. Before she could speak though, Dean’s lips found hers again. Any thought of what she had to say fled as she gave in to the sensation of just being there with him.

“I hope y’all don’t mind pizz-... Whoops!” Robyn said as she turned from entering the room only to nearly crush the pizza boxes she was carrying between her and Sam. “Uh, Sam! I think we left stuff... In the car… Yeah… Like maybe a few more minutes worth of stuff,” Robyn stammered. “Wha-?” Sam said before he glanced past Robyn to the scene behind her. “OHMYGOD!” Grace blurted as she blushed and rolled out from underneath Dean, tripping him into lying flat on the bed beside her. She then sat up, grabbed the previously discarded book, and attempted to look like she had been reading it all along. Dean simply laid there and glared at his brother, “You couldn’t have found somewhere further away to get food at?” Robyn continued to hold tightly onto the pizza boxes and stare at Sam’s chest as Sam replied, “You could have put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door handle, genius.” Robyn chuckled, grinned, and slowly relaxed, “Yeah… ‘Cuz that’s a smooth move…” Her voice deepened as she did a mock impression of Dean, “‘Excuse me, toots, as I place this sign out so I can make my moves on you.’” Dean motioned to Robyn’s back with one hand as if indicated that she, at least, gets it.

Slowly, Robyn turned and placed the pizzas on the table. Sam entered and shut the door behind him before he placed the six-pack of beer and a bag of groceries on the table beside the pizza. Smiling at her friend, Robyn ribbed, “By the way… That is SO not believable after you’ve been caught.” As she opened the boxes, she pulled out paper plates from the grocery bag and placed them beside the pizza. “Food’s on.” Grace continued to read the book as if she hadn’t heard Robyn’s gibe then slowly closed the book and moved to the table as if nothing had happened. Robyn moved to the other side of the table to sit behind her laptop and grinned over it to her friend as Grace put two slices of pizza on her plate. Grace stuck her tongue out at Robyn briefly before she returned to sit on the bed. Robyn chuckled and winked at Dean as he, too, got a plate with pizza and moved to sit beside Grace. Grace got up briefly to move slightly more away from Dean, which got a chuckle out of the Winchester. Sam got a plate of pizza and moved to sit behind his laptop next to Robyn.

Robyn grinned broadly as she murmured softly, “I… Can’t… Resist.” She then picked up a pretend microphone and, in a sports commentator voice, began, “So, Sam… What we got here are two snuggle bunnies…” Robyn ducked briefly as a pillow flew past her head. “Caught in the act…” She ducked again as another pillow was thrown. “How far do you… HEY! THAT’S MY PILLOW!” Robyn glared as she ducked once more as another pillow landed against the wall behind her. Grace pointed a finger at Robyn with a fierce look that read ‘SILENCE!’ which caused her friend to giggle maniacally. As Robyn resumed her work on the laptop, Sam stifled his chuckle before Dean picked up his own pretend microphone, “We come now live from the field...” A pillow smacked Dean in the back of the head as Grace got up and huffily moved to the other bed and continued to eat. Robyn chuckled as she glanced behind her, “Well… She’s out of pillows… Books, pizza, and sharp objects are probably next… And probably in that order.” Sam smiled tenderly, “Then perhaps you two should stop while you’re ahead.” Robyn pouted playfully at Sam, “But… It’s so much fun.” Grace glared at Robyn, “You like sleeping in… Remember that.” Her friend thought for a moment then nodded, “Point taken…”

 

 

Grace returned from her morning jog to find Sam was returning to his room dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt. He carried a drink carrier of four cups of steaming drinks and a small paper bag from a nearby bakery. As he smiled softly, he held out the carrier to Grace, “Coffee? I’m not sure how you like it, so I brought creamer and sugars.” Grace smiled appreciatively as she unlocked her door and opened it before she took two cups out of the carrier. “Thank you.” She glanced into the room then looked back to him, “Give us a few minutes to get ready. Robyn still has to wake up.” Sam nodded, “Dean and I are ready when you are. Just knock.”

As she moved into the room and hip-bumped the door closed, she headed towards the cocoon of blankets that Grace knew housed Robyn inside. Placing her coffee aside, she slowly lifted the edge of a blanket and waved the cup of coffee under Robyn’s nose. Gently inhaling the aroma, one of Robyn’s eyes creeped open. “No cream or sugar?” She murmured. Grace smiled, “Ya gotta get dressed for that. Sam has it.” Robyn’s eyes opened sleepily and she contemplated getting up as she stared at the cup Grace held. She sighed softly, sat up, and stretched. She took the cup from Grace and untangled herself from the blankets. As Grace picked up her shower bag, Robyn pointed out, “We’re probably going undercover… Time to put on the good stuff.” Grace smiled broadly and nodded as she picked out her clothing from her bag and headed into the bathroom.

As Grace showered, Robyn groggily got dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt with polished black wedge shoes. She then went through her electronics bag and pulled out a palm-sized device with a long cord attached to a wand. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the type of energy she gave to the small piece of technology.

After Robyn brushed her teeth above the sink by the bathroom, Grace came out with a towel wrapped around her head, dressed in similar fashion to Robyn. Grace chuckled as she looked over her friend, “Oh, yeah… You’re going to fit right in as an agent with neon hair.” Robyn grinned after she rinsed out her mouth. “I’ll fix it when we get there.” As Grace loaded up on guns and ammo that could be hidden under her blazer, Robyn loaded a small purse-like satchel with trinkets, a container of salt, and small bits of technology.

Grace cringed as she looked over at her now cold cup of coffee, then turned and gave Robyn puppy-dog eyes. Robyn sighed dramatically as she picked up both cups of coffee and concentrated. A few moments later, both cups were steaming again. Grace knocked on the adjoining door and smiled as it began to open. The smile faltered a little as she saw Dean answered the door dressed in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and his wet hair disheveled. Her eyes grew wide as she attempted to close their side of the door, but met resistance as she saw an appreciatively smiling Robyn look on. “You going as a male stripper?” Dean winked, “You got dollar bills?” Robyn let go of the door and turned to head towards her bag when Grace grabbed ahold of her to stop her. “No… But I thought you two were ready.” Dean grinned impishly. “No. Sam was ready. I was waiting for breakfast before showering.” Robyn piped in, “There’s breakfast?!? Do we get to eat it off a hard bod-” Robyn grunted as Grace elbowed her in the stomach.

Letting go of Robyn, Grace moved past Dean and proceeded to grab clothes out of duffel bags and toss them at Dean. “Go to the bathroom… Get dressed.” She hesitated momentarily as she noted the pair of boxer-briefs she pulled out of a bag and a blush creeped on her face before she flung those too at Dean. Sam watched her from over his laptop that he had moved to the table in their room. Dean slowly began to gather up the hurled articles of clothing and head to the bathroom, making each time he bent over a slow presentation. Robyn grinned impishly, “Hey, Grace… Wanna hold his towel for him while he picks up his clothes?” Grace stared horrified at her friend as the red of her hair matched the blush on her face. Dean winked at Grace as he passed by.  
Robyn headed to the table and set down the cups of coffee. Digging through a bag there, she found cream and sugar and proceeded to load her coffee up. Sam quirked an eyebrow at the amount of each she used. “Like a little coffee with your sugar and cream addiction?” Robyn grinned as she leaned over his monitor and purred, “What can I say? I like it sweet, creamy, and steamy.” Grace winced and sat down on a vacant bed. “Oh, good gravy, Robyn.”

Sam shook his head and returned his attention to his research. “Any ideas on where we should start?” Robyn shrugged softly, “I was thinking you two interview the family of the mausoleum. Find out where they think the bones are or why there’s been a stall in the research. Grace and I will head to the local college. That’s probably where the bones would’ve been sent.” Sam nodded as he typed and then glanced back up to look at Robyn.

“You... Look good… Uh…,” Sam shifted uneasily for a moment, “Are you two going to need badges?” Robyn grinned impishly, “Oh, we’ll think of something.” Grace added, “She’s pretty good about working on the fly.” Robyn purred as she winked at Sam, “Fly… Pants… Shirt…” Sam’s cheeks tinged slightly red as Grace rolled her eyes. Robyn chuckled as she picked up her coffee and moved to sit by Grace as they waited on Dean.

After a bit, Dean came out wearing a black suit with a white shirt and dark blue tie. Grace’s eyes fixated on him as he moved about the room to pick up last minute items. Sam stood and picked up his suit jacket and slid it on as he picked up their duffel bag of ammunition. “We’ll call if we find anything,” Sam said as they headed out. Robyn nodded and grinned as she nudged Grace to bring her attention back to the present, “He looks good in a suit, huh?” Grace cleared her throat and blinked, “I… Don’t know what you're talking about.” Robyn chanted softly as she left the room, being sure both their rooms locked, “You liiiiiiike him… You already kiiiiiiisssed him…” As they reached the Escalade, they watched the Impala drive off. Grace looked to her friend as Robyn began to drive towards the college. “So, how do we want to handle this?” Grace asked. “We’re Feds investigating missing bones removed from an unmarked grave that holds a possible connection to a Native American tribe.” Robyn responded. Grace blinked surprised, “I didn’t know you knew Federal jurisdiction on Native Americans. Plus… We kind of lack… Credentials?” Robyn glanced to her friend and winked, “Oh, ye of little faith…”

 

 

As they pulled into the visitor parking lot of Butler Community College, Robyn pulled out her PalmPilot and looked up the location of the Anthropology Department. “Okay, it’s in the Science Building,” Robyn informed Grace. She then reached over to the glove box and pulled out two flip wallets. Concentrating momentarily on each, Robyn tossed one to Grace. “There ya go, Agent Summers.” Grace opened the wallet to find the badge and FBI photo ID of Agent Grace Summers. She looked over to Robyn, “And you are…?” Robyn grinned as she held open her badge and photo ID to show FBI Agent Robyn Rosenberg. Grace glanced up, “And… Your hair? Which isn’t FBI regulation?” Robyn frowned briefly then pulled her hair up into a tight bun. As she did so, her hair started to swirl in color till it turned into a deep black. Reaching into the back of the car, she pulled forward two black blazers that were still wrapped from a dry cleaner. Handing one to Grace, she smiled, “Shall we go, Agent?”

Grace and Robyn moved in unison throughout the campus, stopping a couple of times to ask for directions to the Science Building. Once inside, Grace found a map of the building on the wall inside the door. “Archeology is this way.” Robyn nodded and followed Grace’s lead. As they reached the Offices of Archeology, Grace pulled herself up straight and opened the door. A petite brunette was sitting at a receptionist desk near the entrance. The woman smiled and looked up with a slight bafflement. “Can I help you?” Grace and Robyn flipped open their ID wallets at the same time and showed them to the woman. “Yes, Miss…” Grace looked down at the placard on the woman’s desk, “Jones. We need to see the head of the Archeology Department, please.” Ms. Jones shifted in her seat slightly as she looked between the two “Agents” in front of her. “Dr. Grant is currently in his classroom getting ready for his next class. It’s in Room 205-B.” Ms. Jones pulled out a small, laminated map from her desk and pointed directions to the room. “Thank you, Miss,” Grace nodded with a stoic face, “You’ve been a big help.”

Walking down the hall, Robyn grinned to Grace as she whispered, “Really? ‘A big help’? She showed us where his classroom is. Not give us the biggest clue to the crime.” “Give me a break. This is my first time. I’m just method acting,” Grace replied as she frowned softly. Robyn straightened as they walked and teased lightly, “Yes, Ma’am. Sorry, Ma’am… Won’t question your methods again, Ma’am.” Grace sighed as she smiled softly to Robyn, “Don’t make me shoot you.”

Grace slowed them down as they approached Room 205-B as they heard voices coming from the room. “... We’re paying you plenty to just identify, Dr. Grant. Not to suddenly develop morals. It could be the find of the century. Think about it.” “Yes, but things keep happening… Lights blowing out… The sound of drums…” “Harmless college pranks, Doctor.” “I would hardly call my assistant being found without a skull harmless.” “Relax… We’ll add a bonus to your check if that’ll ease your troubled mind.” Grace and Robyn both frowned at each other then rounded the corner and knocked on the door. Two men, one in a lab coat and another in a business suit, glanced towards the door from where they spoke near the front of the classroom.

Grace and Robyn both frowned at each other then rounded the corner and knocked on the door. Two men, one in a lab coat and another in a business suit, glanced towards the door from where they spoke near the front of the classroom.  
“Excuse us,” Grace said as she flashed her badge and Robyn followed suit, “We’re from the FBI. We’re looking for a Dr. Grant?” The man in the lab coat glanced briefly to the other man before he cleared his throat and stepped forward, “I’m Dr. Grant. How can I help you…?” “I’m Agent Summers and this is my partner Agent Rosenberg.” The business suit started to leave the room, “We’ll talk about this later, Doctor.” Grace noticed a slight panic look crossed over the Doctor’s face before he cleared his throat again and smiled timidly. Robyn piped in, “We were told that some remains found at Belle Vista Cemetery were sent here to be identified. We were inquiring as to whom in the Archeology Department is currently working on that?” Dr. Grant started to sweat as he cleared his throat again and tugged lightly at the collar of his shirt. As he rubbed his other hand against his pant’s leg, he said, “I’m afraid those remains got lost in transit and never made it here.” Grace quirked an eyebrow at the odd behaviors and noticed the Doctor slowly turning a shade of red. “Are you alright, Doctor?” “Yes-yes… I’m fine,” he replied anxiously. “Mind if we look around?” Robyn asked as her eyes roamed over the room. “Actually, I do… I have very delicate specimens here and untrained hands could ruin any findings. So, unless you have a warrant, I will have to inform you that any further questions can be answered by my lawyer.” Dr. Grant strained his head to the side as he readjusted his shirt collar. Grace noticed small spots appeared on his hand. “Doctor, are you ill?” She asked as she nodded towards his hand. The Doctor looked wide-eyed at the back of his hand and stammered, “I… I’ll… I’ll be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a class coming in soon.”

Robyn and Grace left the room and began to head back down the hallway. Grace inquired softly, “Was it me or was there something going on with the Doc?” “You mean besides trying to obviously hide something?” Robyn replied. “Oh, yeah… He’s hiding something. But, I meant with the obvious discomfort he was showing… And then the red spots?” Grace shrugged, “Maybe hives? I don’t know.” Robyn nodded, “Okay… So… We go back tonigh-” Grace’s phone began to ring. The ladies stepped aside in the hallway and Grace answered her phone. “Hello?” “... Cheating little fu-” “Hey, Grace. It’s Sam… Um… We have a slight problem here…” Grace heard shots from a shotgun before Sam’s voice resumed, “Apparently, we found the Wild People… Or think we have… We can’t exactly see them… But things are literally being thrown at us… The Tyler family has holed themselves up in their panic room… Which leaves me and Dean…” “You like that!?! Huh!?!” More shots being fired were heard in the background. Dean hollered more, “How about that!?!” Sam sighed, “Which leaves me and Dean open targets. Any suggestions?” Grace grabbed ahold of Robyn and began to pull her faster towards the Escalade. “Send us the address. We’ll be there in less than ten.”

 

At the Escalade, Robyn slid into the driver’s side and shook her hair free of the bun, as Grace fastened her seatbelt on the passenger side, “Not all good with the guys, I take it.” Grace looked to Robyn, “You might want to floor it to the Tyler residence… The guys are under attack by invisible things.” Robyn’s eyes widened as she sheepishly started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. “I think I probably should have mentioned… Wild People know magic…” Grace’s eyes widened, “Yeeeaaaah… That tidbit of info would probably have been useful. Any idea as to how to stop them?” Robyn shook her head, her hair’s normal neon fire coloration cascaded down back into place, “There’s no lore on what hurts or stops them because they’re usually not a problem to the tribe…” “No, just a pain to the rest of the world.” Grace added. “Pest not pain,” Robyn grinned as she corrected.

 

 

As the Escalade pulled into the circular driveway of the Tyler residence, Robyn and Grace noticed Sam and Dean sat on the ground beside the Impala, faced away from the house. Dean held a steak over one eye while Sam appeared to pull various pieces of food off of his clothing. Robyn slid out of the car and smiled sheepishly, “Lemme guess… They found the kitchen?” Dean glared over at Robyn with his good eye as he held up his shredded jacket. “You might say that.” Grace went over and began to examine Dean’s injuries as Robyn glanced towards the house, “They still in there?” Sam shook his head, “It’s been quiet for about five minutes. I’m pretty sure the Tylers are still in their panic room.” As she chewed on her bottom lip, Robyn nodded, “Well, chances are good we know who the culprits are… Now, we just need to find the bones.” Grace’s eyes widened as she looked just past Dean to the Impala above his shoulder.

“Guys…” She whispered harshly. Robyn and Sam looked to her then to where she was staring. “What?” Robyn asked. Grace nodded her head towards the Impala. “We’ve got company.” Both looked back to where she stared, but only saw the Impala behind Dean’s shoulder. Robyn skeptically glanced to Grace, “Where?” Grace looked to Robyn, then back to just over Dean’s shoulder with steady eyes. “Honey, we’re not seein’ it.” Dean’s eyes slowly began to widen. “You mean one of those little shits is on me!?!” He jumped up, knocking Grace over, and began to swat at himself. Robyn shook her head as she helped her friend stand. Robyn asked Grace, “Where do you see it now? Because it’d find Dean slapping himself funny as Hell.”

Grace looked around then nodded to the Impala’s hood. Nodding, Robyn turned and headed towards the Impala. As she held her hands up non-threateningly, Robyn said, “Talofa, vao Tagata.” Sam looked wide eyed to her then to the hood of the Impala. “Is it possessing the car?” “WHAT!?! NOT BABY!” Grace grabbed Dean’s arm to stop him and motioned for Sam to quiet. “No,” she whispered, “I think she’s talking to it.” Robyn drew in a deep breath and continued, “Sa e Tautala e Tinamatua fesili mai mo se fesoasoani. O le a tatou toe foi le mea ua faia. Faamolemole ia tuuina atu i tatou le onosai.” After a few moments, a small human figure appeared on the Impala’s hood. It tilted its head to the side in contemplation before it spoke, “O le a tatou tuuina atu aso e tolu.” Robyn bowed slightly, “Faafetai, le Paia e Toatasi.” With that, the being vanished again. Grace let out the breath she had been holding and looked to Robyn, “Well?” “We have three days,” Robyn replied. Dean ran over to the Impala and began to inspect it. Robyn rolled her eyes, “It didn’t do anything to your car.”

Sam looked to Robyn, “Where’d you learn to speak their language?” “It’s the language of the tribe. I took a chance it’s what they’d understand considering they’re acting on what they believe is the tribe’s behalf,” Robyn answered. Robyn turned and looked to the group, “But we really need to find those bones.” Sam nodded as Dean murmured reassurances to the car. “We looked around the house and couldn’t find anything unless it was in the panic room,” Sam said. Robyn nodded as Grace inputted, “Chances are, it’s in Dr. Grant’s lab.” Dean looked over, “Guess we break into the lab and have a look around.”

 

 

The group reconvened back at the motel. Dean laid out on his bed in the guys’ room. Sam went into the ladies’ room to inform them what had been discovered. Grace looked Dean over carefully, then patted him on the head. “You’ve got a few bruises, but look to be okay.” “Apparently, it is Grandpa Tyler’s mausoleum that’s going up,” Sam said. “The bones weren’t in a marked grave, so they just assumed they were misplaced. They sent them to the university as a ‘courtesy.’” “Did they say if there was anything found with the bones?” Robyn asked. Sam shook his head, “They were relatively short answered about the whole thing.” As she sighed, Robyn said, “Hopefully, all that they’ve dug up will be still together when we find it. If anything significant is missing the Wild People won’t hold back next time.” “Yeah! Thanks for the heads up on that, by the way!” Shouted Dean from the other room. Grace walked into their room and rolled her eyes, “Ignore him. He’s just upset a twelve-inch tall creature kicked his ass.” Robyn smiled appreciatively at Grace. “We should all get some rest and head to the college after midnight. Less people to worry about seeing us then,” Sam said. Robyn and Grace nodded and Sam headed into the other room, closing the door behind him.  
Robyn looked to Grace, “So… How were you able to see it? I mean, it was invisible.” Grace blinked, “I thought you could see it and that maybe Dean’s head was just hiding it.” Robyn shook her head, “Nope. It was completely invisible till I talked to it on the car hood.” Grace fidgeted slightly, “I… I don’t know.” “What else can you see that we can’t?” Robyn asked. Grace simply shrugged, “I… I’m not sure. I just assumed I see what everyone else does.” Robyn smiled tenderly, “It’s okay. We all have our quirks.”

 

As the Impala and the Escalade pulled into the parking lot, their headlights were turned off. Grace and Robyn exited the Escalade dressed in black shirts with black jeans and corresponding gloves. Robyn carried a small duffel bag with her while Grace held a gun in hand. Dean and Sam exited the Impala. Dean wielded the sawed-off shotgun and was loading it with rock salt buck shots. Robyn rolled her eyes, “You know that just pisses them off, right? They’re not ghosts.” Dean frowned, “You have any other ideas?” Robyn contemplated then looked to him, “How about… Not pissing off the tiny little creatures who can kick your ass?” Sam chuckled as he headed towards the Science Building with Grace following behind him and Robyn and Dean catching up. As they approached the first overhead light, Sam glanced up and frowned, “Crap… Security cameras.” Robyn grinned as she pulled out her PalmPilot, “Got it covered.” A few seconds later, the light turned off on the camera. “We should be good to go on the alarms as well.” Sam glanced to Robyn, surprised. “You… Did all that with just your PalmPilot?” Robyn glanced to Grace who smiled softly at Sam, “She’s tech-savvy like that.” Sam looked from Robyn to Grace, “Riiiight…”

As they entered the Science Building, the ladies lead the way to Dr. Grant’s lab. As they approached, they saw a light coming from underneath the door to the lab. “Crap. Someone’s here,” Robyn said. Grace peered in through the door’s narrow window and hunched back down. “It’s Dr. Grant. He’s kinda bandaged up. And it looks like he’s opening a crate of some kind.” Robyn looked to Sam and Dean, “Ideas, guys?” “Sorry, left my knock-out gas in my other jacket,” Dean replied sarcastically. Grace peaked in through the window again then looked to Robyn, “He’s got a cell phone clipped to his belt.” Sam and Dean looked to Grace, confused, “You have his number?” Robyn sighed, “No… But I do…” As she stepped away from the group a little bit, she pulled out her cell phone and pushed a few buttons. “Dr. Grant? This is Jessica from down the street? You may not have met me,” Robyn said, “But I’m part of the neighborhood watch…” All three gazed stunned as they looked into through the slotted window to see Dr. Grant on the phone. “Anyhow,” Robyn continued, “I wasn’t sure if it was you or someone else, but I noticed flashlights through your window… Yes, a few of them. No, I didn’t see an open window or door, but I wasn’t sure if you were having a power issue or not. Sure, I’ll keep an eye on out till you get here. Okay… Buh-bye.” Dean, Sam, and Grace quickly joined Robyn and went around a corner of a hallway. A few moments later, Dr. Grant left his lab, secured the door behind him and headed down the hallway the other way. Dean looked over to Robyn, “Who’s Jessica?” Robyn shrugged, “How should I know? I just made it up.”

Quietly, the group headed back towards the lab door and Grace pulled out a set of lockpicks. Working quickly, she managed to get the door open and they entered. They each spread out and began to look around the lab. Robyn went for the crate that was on the table and carefully opened it. She turned on the overhead lamp and swore softly as she peered inside. Nestled gently in packing straw was a mummified human body, positioned as if it were sitting cross-legged. Its crossed arms cradled another mummified body of a foot tall human, also in a seated cross-legged position. A strip of cloth was wrapped loosely around the larger human’s wrists and around the little body in its arms. The cloth bore various different symbols. Grace moved over to her friend and looked in, “Looks like we found it.” Robyn nodded, “According to the markings… Her name was Two Moons… She was the tribal Speaker of the Wild People.” Robyn looked up with a saddened expression, “She was buried with her soulmate.” Dean moved to stand beside Grace and looked at the body. “Why is she sitting?” Robyn smiled tenderly as her attention returned to the figure, “It’s how the Osage are buried.”

“Right,” said Dean as he moved to his duffel bag, “time to put them to rest.” He pulled out a container of salt, lighter fluid, and matches. “Uh… What are you doing?” Robyn asked. Dean stared at her for a moment, “I’m going to light them up.” Robyn’s eyes grew wide, “Like Hades you are! First off, we’re inside a building… Fire alarm system, genius… Second, it’s not vengeful spirits… But pissed off Wild People. Think about it… You desecrate their burial further by burning the bodies… Do you think the Wild People are just going to be just okey-dokey and flutter away?” Dean sighed as he shrugged with the container of salt in one hand and the lighter fluid in the other. “She does have a point, Dean,” Sam said. “Okay then, what do you suggest?” Dean asked. “We return both bodies to the tribe and let them handle giving them a proper burial.” Robyn answered. Grace nodded in agreement.

With Sam’s help, Robyn carefully returned the lid to the crate. “The tribe is at the Osage Reservation in Oklahoma.” “Well… It was reported as lost in transit,” Sam admitted with a gentle smile. Dean carefully picked up one end of the crate while Sam carried the other. Grace and Robyn held doors for them until they got to the Escalade and carefully placed it in the back. Once everything was strapped down, Robyn pointed her PalmPilot back to the Campus then nodded, “And, their security is back on… But won’t see us going.” Sam looked from the Campus back to her, “You sure?” Robyn nodded. “I’m good with technology.”

Sam sheepishly looked to Robyn, “We’ll follow you… You know… In case you need… Anything.” Robyn smiled softly, “Thanks.” Grace climbed into the Escalade passenger seat as Robyn got into the driver side. After a few moments, the Escalade left the parking lot and headed to the highway to Oklahoma with the Impala following close behind.

 

As they left the Reservation the next day, Sam pulled up local news reports of children who had gone missing… Suddenly showing up at hospitals. All of them were unharmed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing! This work is planned to go on from episode to episode with these two Original Characters written in, so as you can already guess, it will turn into an Alternate Universe setting. Feel free to leave any remarks or suggestions below for improvement or things you'd like to see inserted. It's always welcomed and appreciated! Thanks again! <3


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